Desire
by readbymoonlight
Summary: Everyone has desires, but how far is one willing to go to get what they want? Warning: Vampire/High School AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters. Only the plot.**

**Warnings: This is an AU High School Vampire Fic. **

**For Kayla, you are the best friend in the world.**

* * *

"I miss her." Ino sighed quietly to Hinata and Tenten, who stood on either side of Ino, as they watched their old friend walk alone. They were leaning against a set of lockers, one of which that did belong to Ino, and had spotted her down the hall.

"It's been nearly three years, huh." Tenten murmured. "She won't even utter a single word to us." They continued to watch the object of their conversation stop by her locker, open it, pull out a few books, slam it shut, and keep walking. No one spoke to the girl and most people tried to avoid eye contact with her dead eyes. She was almost like a ghost, too pale to be healthy.

"S-She seems s-so lonely." Hinata whispered. The girl the three had been watching opened a door at the end of the hall way and walked in. The door closed with a thud and their view of the girl was gone. "S-She hardly talks to a-anyone anymore."

The bell rang signaling the five minutes before class was to start. "Come on." Ino said in a false cheery voice to pick up the dampened mood. "We don't want to be late for Iruka Sensei's lecture." And with that the three girls walked off toward their class but their minds couldn't focus on their lesson as they thought about the one from their group they had lost three years prior.

* * *

The day ended quickly and the three girls were walking out of the building, together as always. They were practically inseparable, especially what had happened three years ago. The girls had all gone through a lot and needed each other. They provided each other the security of confidence, reassurance, and company that they couldn't get without each other. They were all broken.

They looked across the shiny green grassy lawn to see their old friend walking toward the student parking lot alone as ever. Everyone she walked by turned their gaze away. Most people were frightened by her general presence and the atmosphere she carried around her. It was her eyes that turned people away from her; those cold dull eyes.

"She doesn't talk to anyone." Tenten observed. Their friend looked paler and skinner. She looked unhealthy, like she was shriveling up and dying. Through her tight shirt, they could count the ribs, even from a distance. She was turning into a skeleton. Just an empty body of skin and bones.

"Who would want to? She hardly talks at all, barely listens. It's almost like she isn't _there_ anymore. You know? Like she's empty." Ino frowned. She and the girl used to be best friends and now…well it's been three years and not a word was spoken between them.

It's not that Ino hadn't tried, but the girl simple wasn't there. It was like talking to a wall or a door. No one was home inside and the three friends didn't know why. Eventually Ino just stopped. It wasn't going anywhere and just kept breaking Ino, Hinata and Tenten's hearts. The more they tried the hard the realization hit them that their friend was long gone.

"She doesn't smile." Hinata whispered softly. Tenten looked down. Ino swallowed the bile in her throat. Hinata held back the tears. That was what they remembered best about their friend; her smile. With her smile, she could brighten anyone's day. It could make someone who just lost everything feel hope. It could turn anyone's way of thinking toward a positive bright tomorrow. She was always happy, up until…how she was now. That smile died with her spirit and all that was left was a soulless body, roaming around lost.

They continued to watch as their friend walked to her beat up, clunky, dark green-blue Hyundai Elantra and climbed in. She turned the car on and sat there for a moment, staring into space; her eyes focusing on nothing ahead. She seemed to snap out of it a few seconds later and buckled herself in. A second later the car was driving out of the school's parking lot. You would have thought she was dead with how stiff her body was and how cold and lifeless her gaze was if it weren't for the slight movement of her fingers drumming against the steering wheel in some sort of rhythm. They watched through the windows of the car, their friend's emotionless blank face staring at the empty road ahead. Her eyes could only be described as two things; dead and empty.

They watched the car disappear from view and before they could utter a word to each other, two tanned arms was swung around Hinata and Ino's shoulders. A boy with spikey brown hair and brown almond-shaped eyes had appeared between the two girls. He had sharper than normal teeth, especially prominent on his canines, and blood red triangles on his cheeks.

"Hello, ladies." The boy smirked.

"H-Hi, K-Kiba-kun." Hinata stuttered nervous by proximity. The boy, Kiba, grinned. He always liked to mess with Hinata and thought of her like a sister. He thought her mannerisms and shyness were cute.

"So, I'm having a party at my house tomorrow night, what do you say? You game?" Kiba looked at Ino during this. Ino was a notorious partier and if he got her hooked into it, Hinata and Tenten would follow. It was the natural course of these meetings. "The parents will be out of town, the booze will be flowing, and the music pounding; it's going to be out of this world."

Ino's blue eyes darkened. "Hell fucking yeah!" Ino shouted; thoughts of her old friend forgotten. "Of course, we will! Right Tenten?" Ino asked the girl next to her with chestnut brown hair that was tied in two little buns.

"Sounds fun." Tenten shrugged as her light glowing brown eyes landed on Hinata.

Hinata's white eyes widened. "O-Oh, I-I don't know if I s-should." Hinata murmured, more to herself as she shook her long bluish-black hair into her face almost like a shield. "F-Father would never allow me."

Kiba brushed the hair from her face causing Hinata to go bright red. "I'd be very upset if you didn't."

"Besides you can sleep off the alcohol at my house." Ino laughed. Hinata went red at the thought of drinking. "Not that you'll actually drink any." Ino muttered moody. "You won't have to tell your dad a thing. He'd never know."

"O-Oh, then I guess I'll g-go." Hinata whispered terrified, not wanting to upset her friends. "I'll let f-father know I'll be at y-your house Ino."

"Great!" Kiba exclaimed, letting Hinata and Ino go after giving each a kiss on the cheek. Ino waved it off but Hinata looked like she couldn't breathe and her face couldn't get any redder. She was starting to get lightheaded and she thought she was going to faint. She always got nervous with intimate actions.

Kiba didn't seem to notice as he walked forward before turning around the three girls and flashed them a wide grin. "Party starts at eight, don't be late." With a wink, the boy was off joining his hooded friend Shino who was waiting patiently by the gates of the school.

"This is great!" Ino shouted to the heavens. "It's been ages since Kiba has thrown a bash. I haven't partied in forever and have been going crazy from no drinking, flirting or dancing!"

"I can't wait." Tenten agreed. "But Ino, let's be honest, you don't need a party to do all those things and you know it."

Ino just gave a coy grin and winked. Tenten rolled her eyes at Ino.

Hinata just smiled at her friends. She wasn't much for parties but she couldn't say no, especially to them. She couldn't say no to anyone but she knew Ino and Tenten would make sure Hinata had a little fun. Who knows though, maybe she'll actually have fun.

"Let's go to my house and pick out the prefect outfits now!" Ino exclaimed, grabbed each girls' wrist and dragging them off. "You guys can borrow some of my stuff."

The one thing Ino liked more than the actual parties was getting ready for them. She simply enjoyed indulging in such a silly activity while talking with her friends. She enjoyed it so much that she would start as early as possible. Ino liked fashion and liked looking good. She had always gone with the school of thought to look your best even if you are feeling your worst. Parties simply just gave Ino an excuse to dress up.

"And look like sluts?" Tenten asked, gesturing to Ino's short skirt and tight tank top. "No thanks."

"But I-Ino, the party isn't till t-tomorrow night!" Hinata yelped frazzled.

Ino rolled her eyes. "I know that's why we have to get started now!" Ino thought for a second before rounding on Tenten, "And I do not look like a slut, thank you very much!"

* * *

A large grin appeared on the blonde boy's face after over hearing the conversation between the three girls from his place behind the bushes. He looked kind of sketchy hiding in the bushes but he hardly cared._ There was finally going to be a party_, the boy grinned. With a quick scan of the parking lot he spotted his three other friends. All he needed to do was convince them to go and he can be back in his zone. He quickly started running toward the three by their cars.

Leaning on a black Lincoln town car, was a boy with long brown hair tied in a very loose ponytail. He had white eyes, very similar to Hinata, although they barely knew each other. They were something of distant cousins but that's about it. They have hardly ever spoken more than three words to each other. The boy hardly cared about any family he had left. Apparently there is bad blood in the family.

Next to the white eyed boy was another boy with his dark brown hair tied in a ponytail, which made his head resemble something like a pineapple. He had sharp hawk-like eyes and was smoking a cigarette. He looked ready to pass out as he looked up at the sky, presumably watching the clouds. He was lazy but a super genius, though you would never know by looking at him.

The third boy had black hair that stuck up in the back and hung in his face, falling just before his eyes. He had onyx black eyes that portrayed nothing. He was extraordinarily beautiful and girls fawned over him but he always had the same look like he had now: bored. His posture was stiff, as if he had a stick up his ass which Naruto lightheartedly joked at often.

The blonde ran to his friends, wearing a maniac's grin. "Oi! Guys, guess what I heard!" He exclaimed loudly.

"What now, Naruto?" The pineapple headed guy asked as he took another drag of his cigarette. Humoring Naruto always turned out better for everyone instead of ignoring the blonde.

The blonde who had bright blue eyes and whisker scarred cheeks, named Naruto didn't looked put out by his friend's disinterest; on the contrary he looked like he was shaking from excitement. "Tomorrow night there is going to be a party at Kiba's."

"So?" The boy with white eyes asked, clearly anything but interested in the topic. Even though he looked completely disinterested as well, something stirred within him with a dark interest in the blonde's words.

"So, Neji, that means we have to go!" Naruto exclaimed to his bored friends.

Neji frowned, clearing not understand why they _had_ to go. They didn't _have _to do anything. "Why?"

"You guys suck! I've been dying for something like this!" Naruto wailed pathetically. "I want have a beer and dance my ass off. Maybe even find a hottie to have some fun with." He grinned mischievously.

"It sounds troublesome." The pineapple boy frowned, tossing his cigarette to the ground. He crushed the butt of the cigarette in a long and lazy movement before continuing. "And dangerous."

"Everything sounds troublesome to you, Shikamaru." Naruto hissed in frustration, dismissing the bored boy.

The boy, Shikamaru, responded. "That's because it usually is."

"Whatever! What about you Sasuke? You want to?" Naruto pleaded to the third boy, Sasuke.

Sasuke gave the boy a dull look that would tell anyone else to 'get the fuck away' but unfortunately for Sasuke, Naruto was an idiot. "No."

"Teme! We are going! I want to party, get drunk, and meet girls and you three are coming with me!" Naruto demanded as he raised his fist in the air. "Plus it has been forever since you've been laid." Naruto muttered the last part quietly.

Something flashed over Sasuke's eyes but he didn't speak. He didn't want to have _that_ conversation. Sasuke threw Naruto a dark look, causing the blonde to back away. Naruto knew that was a sore subject for his best friend.

Shikamaru sighed but he knew it was easier to just agree with the blonde then fight it. Plus he hadn't been out in a long time except for school. The idea of being able to leave their makeshift prison was beginning to sound appealing. "Fine, we will go." Shikamaru spoke for them all.

Neji silently agreed. He wanted to get out of the house for a while as well. He hated being cooped up in there every night, constantly being watched like he was going to snap at any moment. He could control himself and he didn't need to be monitored all the time. It had been a long time since he lost it and he was feeling rather confident in his skills.

Sasuke shrugged and opened the door to the black Audi. Naruto ran over to the passenger seat and climbed in excited. "Come on, Teme! You know it's going to be fun, but do you think your brother will let us?" Sasuke shrugged. He didn't know and really didn't care either way. He hadn't been to a party in a long time and really wasn't eager to go to one. To use Shikamaru's word, they were troublesome.

Sasuke pulled out of the parking lot and headed to his house while Neji with Shikamaru followed behind in the Lincoln.

* * *

After pulling up in the long driveway, the four boys walked up the steps to the house. Sasuke pulled out a key from his pocket and opened the door.

The house was a rather nice two store house with a basement. It had five bedrooms and most of them were occupied. His parents were no longer alive so Sasuke lived his older brother and his older brother's friends. Most of the time Neji, Shikamaru, and Naruto were with him there as well. They all didn't really have a choice to begin with.

After closing the door, the four boys headed down stairs to the basement where they knew Sasuke's brother would be. They entered the basement to find eight bodies lounging on the furniture of the basement. These were Sasuke's brother's friends. All of them ignored the entrance of the four boys except for one.

"Brother," The one spoke from the armchair. He had long black hair that was held in a low ponytail. He had the same eyes as Sasuke, black. Below his eyes were deep tear-toughs. He was five years older the Sasuke. "You're joining us? You usually hate these things."

"Hn." Sasuke responded to his brother as he leaned against the wall by the stairs, as far away from his brother as possible. They didn't have what could be called a happy relationship; on the contrary, Sasuke actually despised his brother. It wasn't always like that but things were _complicated_ between the two boys.

"We actual have a question." Shikamaru spoke, trying to get this over with for him and his friend's sake. Sasuke, even though he looked bored, he was emanating a dark aura. It would be best to get him out of the basement as soon as possible.

"And what would that be?" Sasuke's brother asked directing his attention to the other three boys. Naruto was fidgeting nervously, Shikamaru looked bored, Neji was watching calm and silently, and Sasuke was watching very vigilantly although avoiding direct eye contact with his brother.

"Well, Itachi, there is a party tomorrow night and we wanted to go." Naruto explained with a sheepish grin and scratched the back of his head. He refused to make direct eye contact with Itachi. It unnerved him about how much those eyes could see.

Itachi raised his eyebrow. They, including Sasuke, wanted to go to a party? As in drinking, dancing, and women? Sasuke never wanted to do anything, let alone go out and party. That meant he would have to be social. God forbid! He hadn't been to one in, Lord knows how long. "Really now?" Naruto nodded his head quickly with hopeful eyes. "If you guys follow the rules I don't care. Just watch your backs." Itachi waved his hand off before murmuring something to the man on the couch in front of him.

Itachi had kept them practically on lock down for almost two years, it was about time he started giving them a little slack. Not without proper precautions though. He was going to consider this a test for the four boys. If they passed, he would begin loosening the leash, but if they didn't, Itachi would lock them right back up.

Without a response Sasuke was already up the stairs. The other three boys followed in a mutual silence, although Naruto looked like he was ready to yelp with victory any second.

Once they closed the door to the basement, Neji spoke first. "So I guess we really are going to this party. You okay with that Uchiha?" Neji smirked as Sasuke didn't respond. Of course the Uchiha wasn't happy and that made Neji happy. Neji practically lived off other people's discomfort.

"We should probably eat before." Shikamaru suggested. "We wouldn't want to cause any trouble after being locked inside for so long with limited outdoors time."

"I don't care when we eat! I can't wait!" Naruto yelped happily as he did a little dance of glory in the living room. Neji and Shikamaru shared a pained look before sinking onto the furniture nearest to them.

Sasuke remained quiet as he sat on the sofa and closed his eyed. He hadn't expected Itachi to agree so quickly or at all for that matter. Sasuke could tell Itachi was scheming something. No matter, he would go but it wouldn't matter. It's not like it would change anything. He wouldn't be any more or less happy, if that's what Itachi was going for.

* * *

It was about a quarter past one in the morning. The moon shined eerily over the park and reflected a mirror image on the lake in the center of the park. The lamps' lights were dull and barely stretched a few feet, leaving the park extremely dark. He waited in silence, in the midst of the trees, as he heard nearly silent footsteps approach him. His ears perked up and he turned to face the new comer.

When his eyes met hers he let out a cool and collected grin. He always did in her presence in hopes of getting one back. But he never got one in return, ever. It didn't stop him from trying though.

"You're late." She remained silent as she walked up beside him and gazed at the lake. She didn't even appear to have heard him and didn't utter a single word. He expected her to do as much. She hardly ever talked or even showed acknowledgement to anyone. "You know, some kid is having a party tomorrow. Itachi wants you to keep an eye on the boys because they are going." She still didn't speak, still gazing at the lake. Although she didn't, couldn't show it, it made her stomach clench unpleasantly. She hated the lake. It was a bad omen and memory.

The man sighed. The girl beside him used to be so full of life and now she was empty. Her soul seemed to have disappeared. He hadn't known her very well during that time but he saw enough of her to know she was nothing like what was before him now. Most of all, that smile she used to have, was now gone. He thought to himself and couldn't remember a time when she did smile anymore. She was a completely different person now.

"I'll go, Kisame." She finally said in a dull voice. Kisame looked at her. She used to be the epitome of happiness with her long pink hair and sparkling green eyes but now that pink hair was short and dull and those eyes were empty and showed nothing. She looked dead-…no, she was dead and no one could do anything no matter what and how hard they tried. They all had tried.

"Thanks Sakura. Itachi will appreciate it." The man, Kisame, said. "Just remember, they fuck it up, the deal is off. It's your job." The girl remained silent. Without another word to the man, she turned and walked off toward her battered Elantra.

* * *

_ "Sakura! Hey Sakura! Wait up!" Ino yelled as she jogged after her pink haired best friend._

_ It had been nearly a whole two months since she had last seen Sakura. She seemed to have disappeared during that time and no one knew where she was. Ino had tried to call her, text her, hell Ino went to the police, but Sakura had disappeared without a trace and now she was back as if nothing happened._

_Sakura however didn't seem to have heard Ino and kept walking, head bowed to the floor. Ino, having caught up, fixed her blonde ponytail. "Jeez Sakura, you were acting like you didn't see me at all."_

_ The pinkette remained silent and kept walking at her steady pass. She didn't even look at Ino when she had spoken. Ino could only blink. Hadn't Sakura heard her?_

_ "Oi Sakura, what is up with you?" Still no response from the pinkette. "Sakura?" Ino poked the girl's bare shoulder. It was icy cold. "Oh my god, Sakura! Put on a jacket, you're freezing!" Ino exclaimed._

_ Sakura kept walking, ignoring Ino. Ino's temper flared as she stopped in front of the girl, blocking her path. The pinkette stopped as well but still didn't look at her. _

_ "What is wrong with you, Sakura?" Ino asked putting her hands on her hips. _

_This time the pinkette lifted her head up and met Ino's piercing blue gaze. Ino gasped in shock as two dull green eyes met her. Her eyes were empty, dead, and glazed over. Dark circles surrounded the empty green eyes, making it look like Sakura hadn't slept in those two months she was gone. Sakura's face was deathly pale, as if she were sick. She skin looked papery and dry. Even Sakura's bright pink hair was messy and uncared for and on top of that it was short. Her hair used to be at least to her waist but now it barely passed her chin. Ino cringed. Then she noticed it. Sakura's clothes hung looser on the girl, almost like they were too big when before they fit her perfectly. Ino should know, she had bought them for her. Sakura looked terrible. _

"_Jeez Sakura, you don't look so good. Why don't we-"Before Ino could finish her sentence, Sakura walked around Ino and walked on, acting like she hadn't heard the blonde speak in the first place and Ino was just an inconvenient road block. _

_Ino could only stare dumbstruck as Sakura walked into her classroom. Ino walked to her own class but the lecture was hardly listened too. Ino could only sit in wonder what the hell was up with Sakura. She had been acting strange before but after disappearing for two months, she was just empty. Ino even began to wonder if Sakura was there at all._

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. In case there is any confusion, the last scene that is in Italics is a flashback :)**

**Review, I would love to hear your thoughts.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

**Warning: This is a vamp/high school AU.**

**For: Kayla, enjoy sweetie.**

* * *

"Oh, this one is perfect!" Ino squealed as she shoved a blue corset-like garment toward Hinata. Upon seeing the revealing article of clothing, her face grew red and she started stuttering a protest that wouldn't come out. Lucky for Hinata, Tenten was there.

"Ino, how about something a bit more…conservative?" Tenten offered as Hinata returned to her normal coloring. "Even though we are already dressed." Tenten muttered to Hinata who smiled shyly.

After their classes, the three girls headed over to Ino's where they have been getting ready for their night. Ino was digging through her closest, dead set on finding Hinata the perfect outfit, even though the poor girl already had one. For Ino, getting ready for a party was almost as fun as going to one. Tenten and Hinata did not share this point of view.

"I give up!" Ino sighed in defeat falling on to her large bed. Nothing she picked suited the shy girl. All Ino's clothes were risqué and revealing. The most revealing thing Hinata wore was her swim suit…which was a one piece. "At least let me do your makeup." Ino negotiated as she lifted her head up. Ino could settle for makeup.

Ino was sporting a tight dark purple skirt that reached her mid-thigh and a black lacy sweetheart sleeveless top with a pair of strappy heels. Tenten had a pair of pale yellow leggings and a fitted oversized black sweater that reached a couple inches above her knees and black flats. Hinata was wearing simple jean shorts and a light purple tank top with her grey converse.

It was nearly seven thirty when Ino was content with their makeup. She walked to her door and locked it before opening her window. Her parents wouldn't want them going out for the majority of the night so they would sneak and climb the tree down. They had done it many times over the years, especially when their pinkette friend was still with them.

* * *

"Shouldn't you four get going?" Itachi asked as he saw the four sitting on the living room. Naruto's ears perked up and he leaped from the couch, grabbing Neji in the process. Neji narrowed his eyes in irritation causing Naruto to release him.

Shikamaru stood up and nodded his head. "Yeah, I guess we better head out."

"Did you eat?" Itachi asked curiously as he examined all their faces.

"Yeah, yeah. Now come on Shikamaru, Neji, Teme! I want to go!" Naruto wailed.

Neji grabbed his keys from the counter. "Let's just get this over with." Even though he acted pissed, Neji was rather thrilled to be getting out of the house. As long as he kept in control of his little inner friend, everything would be fine.

Sasuke stood up and followed them out but was stopped by a cool hand gripping his shoulder. Sasuke turned around to his brother and raised his eyebrow. "Be careful. We don't need any trouble tonight, got it?" Itachi warned. "Keep an eye on Neji; you know how he gets. Remember our deal."

"Hn." Sasuke grunted before continuing out the door toward Neji's car.

Upon climbing in the back, next to Shikamaru, he was met by the loud and obnoxious voice of Naruto, who was rambling nonstop in the passenger's seat next to Neji. A few minutes of this went by. Shikamaru could see the tension build up in Neji's shoulders. The blonde kept talking, oblivious to the dark air filling the car. Shikamaru sighed; _sometimes Naruto was just plain stupid._

Before Naruto knew what was happening, Neji took one hand off the wheel and gripped Naruto's throat tightly, prompting Naruto to shut his trap. "Not another peep." He hissed with his eyes still glued on the road. Naruto nodded his head as he gasped for air and Neji removed his hand.

Neji had an infamous temper and usually flared out quite violently when someone cracked his calm and composed shell. Neji's temper wasn't something to test, plus it was still better than the alternative outlet for his rage. The three boys, especially Shikamaru, knew from experience.

Shikamaru and Sasuke watched from the back seat unfazed. At least Naruto was quiet for now and Neji got it out of his system.

* * *

The trees blurred by as Sakura drove down the deserted road. Van Halen's _Panama_ filled the car as she turned down another road toward the address of her peer. She didn't want to go to the party but since Itachi wanted her to, she would. She owed him that much and more; so much more. She wasn't even close to repaying him.

She looked around for the house she was supposed to go to and quickly found it by the over flow parking leaking into the vacant lot next door. She parked across the street and climbed out. It was slightly chilly but it didn't matter much to her. She looked at the direction of the party house to see the lights on and the windows vibrating to the loud music.

She locked her car and closed her eyes, resting her forehead on the cool exterior of the car. Bad memories were bubbling up and she didn't like it. Hell, she resented such memories for daring to appear in her conscious. She had locked those away but now, there seemed to be no stop. _Everything_ seemed to remind her of that time in her life; remind her of _him_.

After taking a few deep breaths, she opened her eyes. It was no big deal. All she had to do was find a nice boy to spend the night with and make sure the four dumbasses behaved. She could do that. She _will_ do that. It was going to be easy-peasy.

She walked across the street and opened the front door of the party house. The music flooded past her and she was hit with a heavy bass. She moved in and closed the door. The scent of alcohol and smoke filled her nostrils and she masked her grimaced. She most certainly did not want to be here tonight. With another quick breath, she walked down the hall and reached the living room. _You can do this, Sakura. You can do this._

* * *

Hinata sat on one of the large couches in Kiba's living room. She was currently seated tightly in between Tenten and Shino, a boy who always wore a hood and glasses, even inside, and rarely spoke. It was odd seeing him here in the first place even though he was Kiba's best friend. It just didn't seem like his scene. Ino was off dancing with some unknown misters. Kiba and Lee, a boy with a bowl cut and thick eye brows, were currently telling stories to Hinata and Tenten. Tenten was cracking up about something the two had said and Shino was shaking his head to himself from either amusement or shame, it was unclear. Hinata looked around the room. She spotted many people from their school and many more who weren't. How Kiba knew all these people simply amazed and puzzled her.

Suddenly a flash of orange caught her attention and Kiba was knocked onto the ground. She stared wide eyed as the blonde boy in the orange jacket sat on Kiba's back and laughed. Soon he too found himself on the ground as Kiba's large white dog Akamaru had knocked him over, protecting his master.

"Naruto! Good to see you!" Kiba shouted over the music. Akamaru barked in agreement.

Naruto grinned wickedly. "You too, Kiba, Akamaru. It's a nice party you got here!"

Hinata watched as the two boys talked and occasionally punched each other. She was amazed; she didn't know they were friends. Over the past three years, Hinata had developed a strong schoolgirl crush on the boy and often watched him from afar. It had started ever since he joined their school during their first year of high school. She admired him greatly. He was determined and believed in himself more than Hinata could ever in herself. She wished to be like him and yearned to be with him. She felt that if she was, she could truly be herself and be happy. She felt that Naruto would accept her for who she was and would make her happy. He was optimistic, silly, funny, and very brave. Hinata just wanted to be with him. The only problem was she never had much of the courage to even speak to Naruto and he probably didn't know she existed.

"You're Hinata, right?" Naruto's voice broke Hinata out of her thoughts as she stared at the boy who was mere inches from her face.

"Y-yes, N-N-Naruto-k-kun." Hinata stuttered uncontrollably, her face growing redder and redder. Hinata felt herself start to hyperventilate from such closeness that her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she passed out.

Naruto stood there is shock. _What was wrong with her?_ Kiba and Shino quickly helped the poor girl and laid her on the couch.

Tenten sighed and looked over at Naruto who was looking absolutely confused. She was always a little uneasy around Naruto and his friends ever since she first saw them in freshmen year. While Naruto was bright and bubbly, the other three were quite dull and dark. "She faints when she is scared and nervous."

Naruto looked over at Tenten. "Why would she be scared of me?"

"More like nervous. She admires you and you just shoved your face into her personal zone." Tenten shrugged, trying to ignore the way his eyes seemed to _soften_ as he gazed down at her unconscious friend.

Naruto's eyes widened. "Admires?"

Tenten sighed. "Yeah, she thinks you're brave or something." With that Tenten walked off to get a drink of some sort and let Naruto figure it out on his own. Sometimes that idiot just needed a goddamn hint.

She reached the cooler and pulled out a cold beer. She leaned against the wall and took a sip and watched Ino grind against some ecstatic boy. She heard a sigh come beside her and she looked up to see the boy with white eyes, Neji. Tenten bit her lip nervously.

Tenten had always found him intimidating. It wasn't that he was necessarily terrifying, it was just he was too damn perfect. He was beautiful in a very flawless and perfect sort of way. He was also extremely smart, getting top marks on all classes. He was athletic and could probably push their school to victory on any team if he just joined them. His only flaw, if you could even call it that, was that he was a serious fellow. He took everything he did seriously and in a professional manner. Everything about him was perfect and that made Tenten uneasy. No one was that perfect. Everyone has a flaw or a dark secret about them and Tenten couldn't shake the feeling that Neji had some skeletons in his closet. Being that perfect didn't come easy, which meant whatever he was hiding was probably big. Everyone has flaws and Neji was not an exception, Tenten was sure of it.

"Naruto is already harassing people?" Neji asked, referring to Hinata.

Tenten shrugged. "It doesn't take much for Hinata to get like that."

A rare small smile played on Neji's face. The girl beside him smelled extraordinary. He wasn't sure if it was the few beers that were making his senses more acute or if it was the awakening of his silent passenger, but whatever it is; she had now caught Neji's eyes. He leaned closer to her to get a better whiff. "What's your name?"

Tenten looked shocked. She had seen Neji at school, heck even had classes with him, and he hardly seemed like the social one. He seemed cold and abrasive. As far as she knew, he never talked to anyone willingly, even his friends. Why he was talking to her was over her head.

"Tenten." She responded stiffly.

"Neji." He smirked. The two fell into a mutual silence. Tenten unaware the Neji was looking at her soft skin with hungry eyes. Neji couldn't help but marvel at her. To think that she had been in his classes for so long and never noticed her was simple amazing. The dark creature inside Neji purred with delight as it locked on to its new toy.

A moment passed between the two. Neji was about to say something else before Lee ran up to Tenten. "Hinata is waking up again!"

Tenten nodded and pushed off the wall. She walked a few paces before turning back to Neji. She handed him her half empty beer can. "Nice meeting you." She shrugged awkwardly before heading back to her friend.

Neji was rather taken back by the gesture as he held the beer can in his hands. She had sure captivated his interest. He wasn't even sure how or why, she just did. She didn't treat him like a god or anything. She treated him like a normal human, which was refreshing. Most girls would flirt or throw themselves at him but she just treated him like the average stranger. It was nice.

He looked back up and smirked in agreement as he watched her outline go to the couch. He looked at the beer in his hands again and took a sip, solidifying his decision. _Yes_, he thought to himself, _it was very nice to meet you and we __**will**__ meet again_.

* * *

Sasuke sat in an armchair in the corner and watched the party tick by slowly. Upon entering, Naruto ran off and was talking adamantly to Kiba, ditching the other three boys. He then harassed a girl into fainting and was now watching over her with a strange look on his face.

Neji went off the bar and had talked to some girl for a while. The look in his eyes worried Sasuke but Sasuke trusted Neji to keep his cool. He had to show his brother that everything was fine. The girl left and Neji resumed his bored composure. Everything was fine.

Shikamaru was nowhere to be seen but was probably outside smoking another cigarette. At least Sasuke can count on him to be good. Shikamaru was too lazy to cause any trouble. Plus, Shikamaru made a vow to never do _anything_ like that. Not after her.

Sasuke internally sighed. He really didn't want to be here. He wanted Naruto to finish his bullshit so they could go because that was really the only reason the other three were there. He hated the loud pounding bass, he hated the grinding bodies, and most of all he hated the people here for what they represented and the memories the evoked from Sasuke.

His thoughts were interrupted by Shikamaru who was leaning on the wall beside the armchair. Sasuke looked up at Shikamaru but he was looking somewhere else. After a minute of staring, Shikamaru looked down to Sasuke with a tired look.

"Did you see her yet?" Shikamaru asked curiously. Sometimes Sasuke really was oblivious.

Sasuke raised a perfect eyebrow. "Who?"

Shikamaru sighed and rolled his eyes. _"Her."_

Sasuke's eyed widened a fraction. "She's here?" Shikamaru tilted his head toward the hallway.

Sasuke snapped his head around, so fast he could have gotten whiplash. His eyes searched frantically before cursing when his eyes landed on her.

She looked the same as ever; exotic pink hair, emerald green eyes, larger than average forehead, womanly curves, and short as ever. She was wearing a tight black tank top and acid wash skinny jeans with black converse. Sasuke watched her lean against the wall. She looked bored as she eyed Naruto then some people on the dance floor before glancing at Neji then landing on Sasuke and Shikamaru. Sasuke held his breath as cold onyx met dull emerald. _What the hell is she doing here?_

* * *

_Damn it, not again. _Onyx met emerald and Sakura felt her stomach clench and let out a shaky breath. She hated the way he made her feel. She hated the way he could evoke such emotions that she had desperately tried to forget about. She hated the way that it was bubble up inside her whenever she saw him. She hated feeling such cold, raw, hatred because any emotion was a bad emotion and hatred made people do almost just as stupid things as love did. She would know.

She quickly looked away from him and pushed off the wall. She walked toward the bar and grabbed a beer, taking a sip; anything to distract her from his stupid penetrating gaze. Fuck, she hated him.

A body leaned on the counter very closely next to her but she already knew who it was and was _not_ in the mood to talk with him. _Can't he go mess with someone else?_

"What are you doing here?" Neji asked with cold white eyes. Sakura didn't answer. She wouldn't answer; especially to the annoying Hyuga. While they got along on rare occasion, Sakura could live without his annoying presence. He was one of the only people would could piss her off with very few words. "Playing the silent game again?" Sakura remained silent and took another swig of her drink. "Did Itachi send you to watch us?" Sakura still remained silent. Neji wasn't counting on a vocal reaction as he watched her features for any hints of the truth. While she wore a mask, Neji was quite good at looking through it. "Sasuke is watching us." Neji said after a moment. "Why not talk with him? I remember when-" At this Sakura set her beer down hard, causing some to spill on the counter, and walked off. Neji smirked, she was still sore with that topic. One thing Neji prided himself in was the ability to get under her skin. He considered it a talent since not many could, but he knew all the right buttons to press.

Sakura walked toward the other side of the room with the clear intent to get far away from the four boys when a hand shot out at her. She looked up to see violet eyes gaze hazily over her. He had white hair that hung in his face. He flashed a sharp shark tooth smirk. "Name's Suigetsu, you here alone?"

Sakura stared at the boy who looked like an utter drunk mess. She was about to shake him off when she felt it; the need. It took effect immediately, hitting her like a ton of bricks. She stomach fluttered, her heart raced at alarming speeds, her body heated up and her eyelids drooped. It usually started as a dull ache which she could ignore easily, but that dull ache quickly turned into throbbing pain.

Throwing caution to the wind, Sakura decided why not. Like she said before, hatred made her do stupid things but right now it seemed like a swell idea. If she could get out of the Uchiha's hawk glare, she would do anything. She gave the boy before her a flirty, coy smile and stood on her tip toes. Her teeth grazed his ear.

"Let's take this up stairs." Sakura breathed before grabbed his hand and tugging him upstairs. Suigetsu looked pleased with his success and walked with her upstairs, his eyes glued to her curves. They opened the nearest door and locked it behind them after making sure it was empty. Suigetsu was more than thrilled. He hadn't expected things to move so fast and glad he wasn't going to have to waste any time.

Instantly, Sakura's lips were on his. Suigetsu pushed her against the wall, as he fought for dominance in the kiss. Sakura felt the need grow unbearable as she was surrounded by his drunken scent but she contained herself. She didn't want to go too fast. She had to have _some_ patience.

Oh, it had been sometime since Sakura had done something like this and she knew she had a job to do, but she didn't care right now. That's what Sasuke did to her, he made her careless. This was his fault and upon that realization, it made her more impatient and hasty with her movements.

She felt his tongue skim across her bottom lip, begging for entrance. Sakura mentally rolled her eyes, it would be easier to let the slim-ball stick his tongue in her mouth then fight it _and_ still satisfied the growing need.

Suigetsu's hands skimmed up and down her sides before crawling under her shirt. Sakura lifted herself up, wrapped her legs around his waist, urging him to continue. Suigetsu backed up onto the bed and flipped her onto her back. Suigetsu smiled. _This was going to be a hell of a night._

* * *

Ino blinked. Did she just see what she thought she saw? Was that Sakura flirting with _Suigetsu_? Him of all people? Even more so, Sakura was flirting? The girl looked dead for three years and now she was here, at a party, going to spend alone time with _Suigetsu_? _Are they going upstairs to have sex? When did Sakura even know what sex was?_

Ino quickly abandoned her dancing/grinding partner and went to the couch that had a pale looking Hinata, a laughing Tenten, and a _blushing_ Naruto. What the hell was happening? The world was coming to an end when dead Sakura flirted and obnoxious Naruto blushed.

"Hey, Ino!" Tenten waved as she saw the blonde come over and sit on the coffee table in front of them. "Getting tired already?" Tenten teased.

Ino didn't laugh or even smirk which made Tenten freeze. "She is here."

Hinata looked shock. "W-What?" Maybe she heard Ino wrong.

Hinata felt a tap on her arm and looked back to see Naruto close to her again. She felt her face grow red. "Who?" Naruto asked curiously, his blue eyes searching. Upon seeing her go red, Naruto back away a little bit and Hinata sighed a bit in relief.

Before she could answer him proper, Ino swatted the boy away like a pesky fly. "Leave Naruto!"

"Ah! Okay Ino!" Naruto quickly stood up and started to dart away quickly trying to avoid Ino's threatening fists. He then turned away and flashed a nervous grin at Hinata. "See you at school on Monday!" Naruto yelped as he waved to Hinata. Her eyes widened and a smile came to her lips.

"Hinata? Earth to Hinata? Oi!" Ino narrowed her eyes. Hinata was completely lost in a daze. Jeez. "Sakura is upstairs fucking Suigetsu's brains out!" Ino yelled, snapping Hinata back to reality.

"W-WHAT?" Hinata stared at Ino before continuing much quieter. "Are you sure?" Hinata asked nervous.

Ino nodded her head. "I saw her. She looked around for a little bit, talked to Neji and then went upstairs with Suigetsu."

"What would she be doing here?" Tenten asked. "Even before everything happened she didn't like going to parties."

Ino shrugged. "I'm just telling you what I saw." All three girls were silent.

"What h-happened to her?" Hinata asked after a moment.

"I don't know." Ino sighed gravely. "But she isn't the person we knew before."

"That person is gone." Tenten shook her head quietly.

* * *

Sakura lifted herself off the bed and looked over at the man next to her. He was shirtless and passed out on his stomach, his face pressed down into the mattress. He looked a little paler then usual but that was to be expected.

The need Sakura felt earlier was gone and had actually left shortly after engaging but found that after you engage, you usually have to finish it up before you can leave. Sakura didn't like leaving things half done. She was taught better than that.

Sakura shook her head. He was asking for it. He was _way_ too grabby for her liking. She was just glad the boy tired quickly. Half an hour after entering in the room and he was passed out, but he'd be fine in the morning.

Sakura sighed. No matter whom she got with when the need occurred, it would satisfy but she didn't feel right afterwards. She hated the feeling and wondered if it was her or them. Maybe she was doing it wrong? Or maybe _he_ had shown her the wrong technique? Regardless she couldn't ask now, that would be pathetic. She would just go with the mentality that Suimetru, no, Suitetfu, no, well whatever his name was, was simply unsatisfying.

After readjusting her shirt and giving the passed out boy one last glance, she slinked down stairs back to the party. No one paid much attention to her as per usual. Most people were either drunk or gone. She walked casually toward the hallway out of the house and started to leave. She already failed for the most part on her job. She left in the middle of watching to satisfy her need and now she could care less what they did. She was still bubbling with hatred. The nagging voice in her head told her that Itachi would be mad, no furious, if she didn't do at least one more check and what real harm would one look cost?

She spun around on her heel and looked around. Naruto was dancing and looked more of a danger to himself than anyone else. Neji was leaning against the bar drinking and talking to some girls which slightly worried Sakura in the sense that she didn't trust him. But after watching for a few more moments, she realized that Neji didn't have any interest in the girls that would put anyone in danger. She couldn't help but internally smirk. It looked like he was trying to escape but they just wouldn't let him go.

Sakura's green eyes scanned the area and landed on Sasuke again. Shikamaru was at his shoulder and they were talking. Of course they hadn't moved; those two probably didn't even want to be here in the first place. Sasuke turned and looked at Sakura, stopping his conversation with Shikamaru.

Suddenly the urge to leave came back as hatred began to boil again and Sakura acted on it and left the house. She knew the boys would leave soon and if they hadn't done anything all night, they wouldn't now. They were idiots most of the time, but they weren't that stupid…

Sasuke watched as Sakura walked out of view. He knew she had done exactly what the boys weren't supposed to. He could see it; her normally dull and dead eyes were bright and glassy. Her skin glowed and she looked more alive. His stomach tightened at the thought of what she had just done and hated it.

Finally he stood up next to Shikamaru and nodded to Neji who gathered Naruto's drunken body, thankful for an excuse to leave the girls, and the four left. Shikamaru drove Neji's car home. When they reached the house the four walked in. Itachi and his friend Kisame were sitting on the sofa on the usually deserted first floor.

"How'd it go?" Itachi asked, eyeing each boy carefully.

"Fine." Sasuke grunted, hating to see his brother right now. The four went up the stairs to Sasuke's room without another word. _Well, that fucking sucked. _

* * *

_Music was vibrating the ground by the lake as it blared through speakers scattered across the grounds. Sakura usually didn't go to these things, especially by herself, but her all her friends were out of town for the summer; she might as well try to do something fun. Plus Kiba was kind of cute, or at least she thought so until she saw him lip locked with a random girl. Somehow after seeing that display, her interest levels in Kiba plummeted to zero. Man, she wished Ino was there with her. _

_ She had a few drinks and talked with a few people from school but that was about it. She really didn't want to be here and was starting to regret coming. She didn't feel like she belonged with the party crowd. That was more Ino's territory._

_ Feeling like no one would miss her from the party; she walked away toward the lake in the center of the park. It was dark but she knew the way through the park almost as well as navigating her house. She probably spent more times in the park then inside her own house. Sakura just loved being outside in general._

_ The tall trees blocked her view of the sky, and also didn't allow any of the moonlight to shine through. After about ten minutes of walking she reached the lake's edge. It was completely smooth and mirrored the night sky. She walked closer and took her sandals off to dip her feet in the water. _

_ The water was cold but she didn't mind. She liked it. It felt good against her warm skin. The cool water was soothing. She watched the ripples break the mirror-like quality of the lake and watched it slowly smooth out again. It was mesmerizing. _

_ Suddenly she heard footsteps crunch directly behind her. She spun around so fast that she tripped herself up and fell into the lake. Now, completely soaked, she glared up at the stranger who stood before her. He smirked down at her sopping form and offered a pale hand._

_ Feeling childish, she refused the hand and stood up on her own, but tripped over her feet again and nearly fell in for a second time until she felt a cool grip on her wrist. She looked to see the stranger give her another smirk and pulled her out of the water._

_ He shook his head at her foolishness and handed her his jacket. She hesitated before reluctantly taking it. She started to put it on but he came behind her and helped her. Normally she would have found this very gentlemanly but she felt like this guy was taunting her, like she was so useless that she couldn't even put on a jacket without fucking it up somehow. Plus he was a little bit too close for comfort. Hell, at least he was an attractive stranger._

_ After the jacket was secured and zipped up, she turned to him questioningly. He shrugged and walked past her uncaringly. She stared awestruck that he wasn't going to speak a single word to her then suddenly from a deep voice, "Be more careful next time."_

_ The voice seemed to hit her, deep in her soul and shook her. She watched the boy, about her age she noticed, walk away slowly. Whoever he was, she hoped that she would see him again and suddenly she was glad she came to the party after all. She smiled pleased with the outcome of the events._

* * *

**Hello! Thank you for everyone how read (special thanks to those who reviewed-love you guys). Anyways, just a reminder, the Italics at the end of each chapter is a flashback. This is before the events of the last flashback and all the flashbacks following will be in chronological order of this one. (I hope that makes sense).**

**Anyways, Thanks again for reading and please review :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

**Warning: This is a vampire/high school au/ Also, character may be a bit OOC. (my bad).**

**Enjoy**

* * *

Monday came around and the three girls quickly went to their seats in their homeroom. Ino had gotten in trouble recently and was moved to the front for 'better learning' and for her to focus on things other than 'cutie patootie boys'. Hinata and Tenten sat a few rows back laughing at their friend's expense. Ino was seated between Shino, who scared Ino due to his lack of speaking, and Kankuro, who flirted with Ino to no end, even after they broke up.

In the midst of their giggles, a form leaned down next to Hinata. She looked up to see Naruto grinning nervous. "Is this seat taken?" He asked gesturing to Ino's old seat. Hinata unable to make a verbal response shook her head and Naruto grinned, sitting down. "So did you have fun at the party after I left?"

"Y-yes, a-although it w-was nice t-talking with y-you t-there." Hinata stuttered, much more than usual, and blushed embarrassed by what she said. Sometimes she said things without thinking and even though they seemed like nothing to the normal person, Hinata usually freaked out.

Naruto grinned at her words. "I wish I could have talked with you longer." Naruto whispered as the teacher walked in late. Hinata felt herself getting lightheaded and thought she was going to faint until she felt a reassuring nudge from Tenten which brought her back to her senses.

Their late teacher, Kakashi, called attendance and stopped at Suigetsu.

"Has anyone heard from Suigetsu?" Kakashi asked bored. Everyone knew he really just wanted to read his smutty books.

Jugo raised his hand. "Suigetsu is sick with the flu and will be staying in his home for the day."

Kakashi nodded his head and continuing with attendance without a word.

* * *

Sasuke sat in his social science class bored by his teacher's droning tone. He already understood the dynamics of the lecture and was watching his classmates, particularly a pink headed girl a few rows in front of him. He didn't understand what had happened Friday night at Kiba's.

She rarely went to parties, he knew that much. But then on top of that she willingly gave into the need and use _Suigetsu_? Not that he had a problem with it but he had never seen her give in so quickly. She was supposed to have the best control over everyone, at least that's what his brother kept claiming. It was almost as if to spite him.

The bell rang and he watched as she collected all her books and fled the classroom immediately. He much slowly, followed her. He watched her collect her books from her locker and head off to her next class. _Math with Asuma_, he remembered. He had memorized her schedule about a week into the school year and subconsciously documented which classes she went to. He sighed and walked the opposite direction. He really needed to stop analyzing her every move. It only made him feel much worse.

There was one thing had particularly bothered him about Friday night though. She had looked at him. She usually went out of her way to avoid him but on a couple of occasions that night, he made eye contact and he didn't understand it. Was she watching him?

Suddenly understanding filled him and angry raged through him. Itachi sent her to watch over him. Now he was pissed not only at Itachi but her. What the hell warranted him to be babysat, by her of all people? He already hated Itachi but now to know his true intentions pissed him off. _And he was using Sakura of all people?_

He was needed to talk to his brother later Sasuke seethed to himself.

* * *

Hinata sat across from Ino and Tenten as they ate their lunch. Ino was telling the two about her new boyfriend; a boy from Kumo who was, by her words, 'absolutely the sexiest thing on earth'. Just as Ino was going to tell them about their steamy night, a tap was felt on Hinata's shoulder.

She turned to look up and for the second time today was shocked to see a nervously grinning Naruto. "Uh, hi Hinata." Naruto greeted as he shuffled his foot.

"O-oh, h-hi N-N-Naruto-k-kun." Hinata stuttered nervous. Her stuttering seemed to increase with his presence.

"I-I was wondering if you perhaps wanted to eat outside with me." Naruto offered quietly. "I mean only if you want to, I mean, I wouldn't want to take you from your friends or anything, you know." Naruto rushed. "Not that I don't have friends either! I do, they are just assholes and you seem nice, not that I'm hitting on you. I don't know you really. I want to know you. So yeah…"

"O-Oh, that sounds," Naruto gulped as he feared her next words; _weird, unnecessary, creepy._ "Nice." Naruto's eyes widened and a grin fell on his face.

"Great!" He cheered happily causing Hinata to blush. She grabbed her bagged lunch and gave her friends a sorry look. The two rolled their eyes and urged Hinata to go. She nodded her head and walked beside Naruto; both had small blushes on their face.

"They are too cute." Ino sighed. "I wish I had someone like that."

"I just hope the idiot doesn't mess with her." Tenten warned as she eyed Naruto eerily. She still didn't trust him or his friends. She was going to keep an eye on him. Tenten was always rather protective of Hinata and Naruto was no exception to that rule. Even if he was harmless, he still had to prove himself. Tenten shook her head and glanced back at Ino. "Wait, what about Mr. Kumo?"

* * *

Sakura sat on the roof of the school and watched the students talk and eat lunch outside. She sometimes envied them. They had friends and families, she had no one. Not that it wasn't her own fault. She made the mistake and now she had to pay for it. But there were times that she couldn't help but feel envy for the girls on the bleachers talking with each other and their boyfriends playing with a football near them. It was so normal. That was what Sakura wanted; Normalcy.

She continued to look around. _Sumgetitsun?…uh-that guy, isn't around today, probably hung-over_. She tried to shake out the gnawing feeling as she continued to scan the grounds of the school. Her eyes then caught an unusual sight. Underneath one of the trees on the school grounds were Hinata and Naruto. _What is Naruto doing? _

Sakura watched. Even from her view on the second story of the building, she could clearly see blushes on both faces. _What the hell?_ Sakura's eyes narrowed as Naruto talked to Hinata. _He shouldn't drag her into this. He should forget about her and not get her involved._

No matter how much Sakura tried to project those thoughts to Naruto; he didn't seem to get them. Of course Sakura was just being ridiculous. Naruto couldn't hear her thoughts but times like this it would be useful. She needed him to back away from Hinata. Hinata could not be dragged into the shit storm that was about to come. She sighed in frustration. Itachiwasn't going to like this at all. Not one bit.

* * *

"N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked after a while of sitting there. Naruto made eye contact to let her know he was listening. "W-Why did you a-ask me to come h-here?"

Naruto looked away and blushed a little bit. "At the party, after you fainted, Tenten mentioned that you…well, that you admired me."

Hinata's face went red with mortification. _How could Tenten do that to her? Not only was it embarrassing but that was a secret she told Tenten in confidence. _ Hinata was fully embarrassed and looked away. Tears pricked in her eyes. _Oh God, he's going to laugh at me, or worse, make fun of me. He probably thinks I'm weird or a stalker or worse. Oh God._

Naruto looked back at Hinata to see she was looking away. _Maybe Tenten was wrong._ "I just wanted to spend time with you to get to know you."

Hinata's head snapped back and looked at him. "R-Really?" Naruto nodded his head. "W-Why?"

"Tenten said that you admired me and no one has ever really done that for me." Naruto murmured quietly. "I wanted to get to know you because of that."

Hinata felt a small smile form on her face. "T-Thank you."

"No, I should thank you, Hinata. Really, thank you." Naruto said. "Plus, I never realized how smart and cute you are." Naruto grinned earnestly.

Hinata's eyes widened. "C-Cute?" She felt her eyes roll into the back of her head as she fainted.

"Ah! Hinata! Not again!" Naruto yelled as he caught her passed out form. From what he remembered, the fainting spells only lasted a few minutes. He put her head on his lap, using his jacket as a pillow for her head, and brushed the hair from her face. _Well it is true. She is very cute._

* * *

Suigetsu laid in bed. His body ached and moaned. _What the fuck happened?_ He had no recollection of Friday night. He just remembered waking up Saturday morning in Kiba's guest room and then was promptly kicked out by the annoyed hung over boy.

He had a high fever and could barely move his body. His eyes were sore and he couldn't open them without feeling a burning sensation in his eye sockets. His tongue was numb and he couldn't sleep.

He had missed school today but he knew he would have to go tomorrow, his brother would force him to whether Suigetsu was dying or not. _Maybe someone there knows what the fuck happened to me._ He needed to know. Whoever or whatever did this to him needed to pay. He would kill whoever made him this sick because even Suigetsu wasn't that much of a fool to think this was some strange illness. No, no, someone did this to him and they were going to pay.

Every time he closed his eyes he felt nauseated by swirling imagines of white, pink, red, and black. They would spin around so fast that he vomited. His ears were ringing with shrill laughter and screaming and there was no _fucking_ explanation for it. It was literally driving Suigetsu insane.

Suddenly he started to cough into his hand. He felt wetness on his hands and looked to see specks of blood. _Shit! What the fuck is wrong with me?_

Suigetsu needed to know who the fuck did this to him and then he was going to kill the motherfucker.

* * *

The four boys were up in Sasuke's room. Shikamaru was sitting against the wall passed out. Neji was reading some old book. Naruto was resting on his back, oddly quiet, with a big grin on his face. Sasuke stood up; none of the others paid attention as he left the room. He needed to have a word with his brother and didn't need those three, especially the dobe, to bother him.

Sasuke trekked down to the first level to find it empty as always. The first floor of the house was always empty due to the large windows and memories that stirred in the two Uchiha brothers. The only things on the first floor were a nearly empty kitchen, a living room with rarely used furniture and a dusty aging piano in the dining room. The kitchen only held the usual appliances but nothing else. No one really used it anymore, just for storage.

Sasuke quickly stalked through the living room then headed down to the basement. His brother practically lived down there with all his strange friends. Sasuke and his friends took the highly levels while Itachi and his friends took the lower levels. That was their silent agreement.

It was filled with the usual eight bodies. By the bar on the left were Deidara, who was pouring himself another drink, and Sasori, who was sitting on the counter watching dully. Leaning against the wall was Kakuzu and Zetsu, who seemed to be in deep conversation; their heads bowed near each other and speaking in hushed whispers. On the sofa were Hidan, who was on his back sleeping, and Tobi, who was sitting by Hidan's feet, tilting his head from side to side as he hummed. On the love seat across from the sofa was Kisame, who was talking to Itachi, who was sitting in that damn armchair that did _not_ belong there.

"Brother, what brings you down here?" Itachi asked upon noticing the ninth person.

Sasuke glared. "We need to talk." With that being said, Sasuke went back up to the deserted first level. They will at least have fucking privacy.

Itachi watched, Sasuke probably figured out his little ploy. Oh well, it needed to be done regardless what Sasuke thought. Itachi still didn't trust the boys after the last incident with Nara and Hyuga. Not to mention his own brother was still not completely trusted after his own little screw up. As much as Itachi hated to admit it, Naruto was the only one doing alright, and that worried him. He wasn't sure how long that would continue either…

"I'll be back." Itachi mumbled to Kisame who nodded his head and closed his eyes. Itachi then headed upstairs to join his little brother.

When on the first level, he saw Sasuke leaning against the wall, a frown on his usually expressionless face. Itachi raised his eyebrows, prompting Sasuke to speak.

"Why?" Sasuke hissed.

"You'll have to be a bit more specific, brother." Itachi rolled his eyes although he was pretty sure he knew already.

"When Naruto dragged us to that party, you sent _Sakura_ to watch us." Sasuke growled irritated by his brother's relaxed tone.

"Ah, yes. Is this what you are mad about? Let's be honest here, you four a risky. With alcohol in your systems and attractive females, or males-which ever you prefer, one thing can led to another. It has happened before so let's just think about it. Until I can fully trust your four, expect there to be a sitter with you."

"What the hell was she supposed to do if it happened?" Sasuke snarled.

"Make sure it doesn't continue to a level that could be life threatening." Itachi hissed back. He understood why Sasuke was upset but he had reason. "I trust her to keep you four in line. It worked, didn't it? I didn't hear a report of dead bodies on the news."

"I don't need _you_ or_ her_ watching over me." Sasuke retorted hotly.

At this Itachi's eyes flashed. "You may not think so, but she is the only one for the job. She is your age, she has better fucking control then all four of you combined, and she knows what each of your little fucking ticks are. She is prefect for the job and until I can trust you on your own again, get used it."

"If she has got such fucking prefect control, why the hell then did she drag some asshole upstairs to give in to her need?" Sasuke hissed lowly.

Itachi raised his eyebrows. "What became of the boy?" Itachi asked. Even though he trusted Sakura's ability, he still needed to double check. She was the youngest out of all of them.

"Ask her." Sasuke barked before turning around and heading upstairs.

* * *

Sakura stood at the end of the small pier at the lake in the park, the wind blowing her dull pink hair back. The moon hung directly above her and made her dead green eyes glow. Itachi walked slowly up to her and watched. _She almost looks like before…_

"Sakura." Itachi spoke shattering the image. There was no going back to that Sakura. She was gone. Sakura turned around and met Itachi's stare. "How'd Friday night go? I trust Kisame gave you good directions?"

"Fine. They behaved." Sakura spoke in clipped sentences.

"Sasuke told me you gave in." Sakura shrugged in response. "Just making sure you aren't the one that needs to be watched." Sakura rolled her eyes still silent. "I'm just saying."

"Itachi, I'm fine." Sakura muttered. "He won't remember anyways."

"He won't but others might."

"Does it really matter in the end?" Sakura asked, one pink eyebrow raised.

"It could, but it probably won't." Itachi sighed as he leaned against the railing with Sakura. "Did Neji do alright?"

"He had a few drinks and talked to a few girls but it didn't go further than that." Sakura said dryly. "His little friend didn't come out to play." Sakura added vaguely but Itachi understood.

"And Naruto?" Itachi asked.

Sakura turned to look at Itachi. "I think he might be involving himself with a girl."

Itachi cursed internally. Naruto was the only who hadn't fucked up, but it turns out he is just late to the party as always. "Do you know who she is?"

Sakura paused for a moment. _Don't think about the past_, her mind hissed. "Briefly." Sakura said ambiguously.

"Do you think it will be serious?" Itachi asked with a hint of worry in his voice. He wasn't ready to go through this again. He had other things to deal with.

"I'm not sure."

"Well, keep an eye on the situation and keep me updated. Also keep an eye on Neji, Shikamaru, and Sasuke. They seemed to have been fine on their own the other night, but I'm still weary." Sakura nodded her head in mute understanding. Itachi let out a sigh. "How are you holding up? It has been a while since the others have seen you."

"I'm fine." Sakura grunted.

"Still planning your great escape?" Itachi asked. Sakura remained silent. _Not until I finish my debt to you. When that is done, I will be free from the pain here._ "Just be careful and remember to watch your back. You've done well these past three years but don't get cocky, especially now."

Sakura remained silent as she absorbed Itachi's words. He was right. She was going to be leaving as soon as Itachi got a firm handle on his little _snake_ problem. Once that was taken care of she would be free to move herself into a nice isolated home in the country where she could live out the rest of her timeline in peace; without the phantom pains of the past haunting her.

"How did you're meeting go with _him_?" Sakura asked.

"Nothing you need to worry yourself with." Itachi ended the conversation. "Remember, keep me updated." Sakura nodded her head as she faced the water again. Itachi walked off and turned to look over her shoulder. _I'm sorry you're like this…Sakura._

* * *

A young man with white hair tied in a tight ponytail with round rimmed glasses scribbled on a note pad as he watched the chemicals he mixed together change from blue to red in a glass flask. A small smirk was evidence of the success. He was almost done. It was nearly perfect.

He continued to take studious notes of his observations, occasionally peering into the glass and taking closer looks, swirling the liquid around. He had been researching the effects of the chemical for the past couple of weeks and he was eager to announce that he had almost perfected the formula.

His note taking was interrupted by the arrival of his master who wrenched the door opened and strolled in. Despite his master's calm and collected look, the aura surrounding the man was deadly. His master had long straight black hair and golden snake-like eyes, with pasty white skin.

"Ah, Orochimaru-sama how did your meeting go?" The white haired young man chirped.

Orochimaru looked at his right hand man. He strolled over to the glasses wearer and stopped to observe the chemical in the flask. "Not good, Kabuto." Orochimaru whispered as if it were a secret. "Itachi-san is very upset with our proposal and refused it."

"He didn't even consider it?" Kabuto asked looking up at his master who was still swishing the red liquid in the flask.

"No."

"It is very foolish of Itachi-san to not accept the offer." Kabuto offered as he watched his master handle his experiment. Kabuto trusted his master, but his experiments were something he cherished above all else. "He shouldn't let his emotions cloud his judgment. It was a _very_ good offer."

"I agree but he has chosen his foolish fate and either way, we will get what we want." Orochimaru smile sardonically. "When will this be done?" He gestured to the red liquid as he set it back on Kabuto's table.

"It is nearly completed. There are a few more kinks I have to solve but even in its current state now, it should be more then effective." Kabuto explained as he pushed his glasses further up his nose. "The only problem would end up being the side effects."

"Good, now come along Kabuto. I'm thirsty." Orochimaru smirked as he walked toward his room.

Kabuto nodded his head and quietly put away his notes and disposed of the chemical. Once he had cleaned up his work area, he slowly approached the door Orochimaru disappeared from. As he walked, Kabuto slowly rolled up his sleeves of his purple shirt and unraveled the bandages wrapping his forearms.

Once the bandages were removed and stored in Kabuto's pocket, he stopped in front of the door. _Once Orochimaru gets what he wants, he will grant me my wish_, Kabuto thought hopefully. He looked down on his scarred arms and sighed. Orochimaru would not hold up much longer for his drink.

Kabuto slowly opened the door and slid in, closing it behind him. _Only a few more times, then I will be like him._

* * *

_Sakura sat in her room as she typed on her laptop. She and Ino had been sending each other emails while Ino was away in Suna for the summer, again. Apparently, Ino's parents had friends that lived there and they would go often. She was lucky; Sakura never got to venture outside of Konoha._

_ Sakura finished up her latest email. She was filling Ino in about the couple of weeks Sakura had been alone. Oddly enough though, Sakura excluded the information about the curious stranger who lent her his jacket which laid beside her. She wasn't sure what to do with it now that it was in her possession and she had no way of returning it. _

_ Just as she sent the email, her cell phone rang the loud and lovely tune of Van Halen's 'Running With the Devil'. Sakura quickly picked up the phone to see who was calling. The number was unknown and Sakura frowned. Who the hell would have her number?_

_ "Hello?" Sakura answered the phone._

_ There was a pause. "Hello." Sakura gasped. It was the same deep baritone of the guy from the party. She was surprised how she was able to instantly remember it but then again, she had been repeating the event in her mind for days and the voice had stuck to her like glue. _

_ "How did you get this number?" She asked quickly, upon realizing who was calling._

_ "From your friend, Kiba."_

_ "Oh," Sakura let out the breath she had been holding. Why? She wasn't too sure. This man made her heart speed up and her breath come short. He made her nervous and excited at the same time. "Why did you want my number?"_

_ Rather than answering her question, he asked his own. "What are you doing tomorrow night?" _

_ "Excuse me?" Sakura asked stunned._

_ "Tomorrow night." He grunted._

_ "Oh, nothing I guess." Sakura answered truthfully. She was confused on why this stranger wanted to know._

_ "I'll pick you up at seven then."_

_ "Wait what?" Sakura screeched into the phone. "What do you mean?"_

_ "I mean what I say. Tomorrow night, I'll pick you up at seven."_

_ "What do you mean pick me up? For what? Like a-"_

_ "Date?" The boy finished. "Yes."_

_ "But I don't know you!" Sakura yelped panicked._

_ "That's what dates are for; to get to know each other."_

_ "But I don't even know your name." Sakura muttered ashamed._

_ There was another pause from the boy. "I'll pick you up tomorrow at seven." Before Sakura could even protest, he had hung up, leaving Sakura in wonder. _

_ She wished she could call Ino, Hinata, or Tenten for advice but they were sadly all gone. With a sigh she stood up and started to pace the floor._

_ Who the hell was he? What did he want from her? Why did he want to get to know her? Why wouldn't he tell her his name? What was he hiding? Hell, he probably didn't know her name!_

_ Sakura let out a frustrated sigh and fell onto the bed. She pulled the jacket up to her face and breathed in. It smelt nice and was comforting. It had a faint sent of pine and fresh air. It was rather refreshing compared to the heavy cologne and deodorant boys her age were over using to seem mature. _

_ Suddenly her eyes snapped open with another though._

_ How in Hell's name did he know where she lived?_

* * *

**Hello! Thank you all for reading! You guys are awesome:D I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review with any questions, comments, or ideas! Thanks a bunch, and see you next time. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. **

**Warning: This is a vampire/high school AU. Some characters will be a bit OOC. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Alright youths, let's start off today with 300 laps!" Gai Sensei (Ino, Tenten, and Hinata's gym teacher) exclaimed enthusiastically. There was a loud commotion from the class, including Ino.

"Um, Gai Sensei, don't you think 300 laps are a bit…excessive?" Tenten asked delicately. Gai had a soft spot for the girl since she was on most of the sports teams, especially his precious track team.

"Beautiful, youthful, flower Tenten, how will your springtime of youth evolve if you don't push yourselves?" Gai asked, clearly disappointed in his favorite girl student's lack of initiative and, well, youth.

"I'm not saying we won't push ourselves, but 300 laps in an hour long class might be pushing it too far." Tenten quickly corrected with a faint smile.

From a crowd of a few people behind her, Neji watched with a smirk. How had he not notice her before. Now he couldn't get the girl out of his mind. She was curvy, alluring, intelligent, and slightly mysterious. Neji almost felt embarrassed that he had reduced himself to watching her in their shared classes, but he couldn't help it. Neji needed to know more about her and eagerly awaited the opportunity to be alone with her. His light side was deeply interested while his dark side that was under the control by the creature inside him was beyond simple wanting. His darkness was growing ever since that party, but Neji wasn't worried. It had been years since he lost control, he should be fine.

"Fine, then ten laps! Go, go, go!" Gai yelled, signaling for the class to take off.

"Don't worry, Gai Sensei!" The boy beside Neji yelled at the same volume as Gai. "I will complete the 300 laps and if I don't I will do 1000 pushups!"

"That's the spirit of youth I am looking for Lee!"

"Gai Sensei!

"Lee!"

Neji, not being able to stand much more of the two, quickly left to find himself behind Tenten and her friends. He ran at a slower pace in order to stay behind her during the laps. The wind drifted her sweet scent back to him and he craved the sweet air.

_**Smells nice, huh?**_

His eyes were glued to her slim form and craved to feel it beneath him.

_**Looks delectable, right?**_

Her soft song-like voice was music to his ears and yearned to hear more of it.

_**Sounds lovely, yeah? **_

Neji didn't know what had gotten into him but he _really_ liked it and so did his darkness as it kept susurrating in Neji's head. He couldn't help but agree and there was nothing wrong with that. As long as he didn't act out, thinking about it was fine.

The laps continued like this until the girls suddenly came to a stop. Neji gently bumped into Tenten's back. She turned around and looked up at him. "Sorry!" She squeaked with a small blush. Neji couldn't suppress the smirk that gazed his features.

"You're fine." Neji lowered his head to whisper to her.

_**Oh, so fine, **_his inner demon cooed.

He then looked passed her to see why they had stopped.

Hozuki Suigetsu had collapsed onto the pavement and was passed out. Neji's eyes widened as he pushed through the girls and kneeled beside him. Tenten watched as Neji checked Suigetsu's pulse. Neji turned around and his white eyes landed on Tenten. "Go get, Gai."

Tenten nodded immediately and race to find her teacher. A few minutes later, Tenten returned with Gai at her heel. A large group had formed around the fallen boy and Neji, who was still kneeled by his side. Gai moved through and kneeled down beside Neji. After checking the boy for any serious wounds, Gai instructed Neji to carry Suigetsu to the clinic quickly. Tenten was instructed to go along and help.

The two walked in silence. Tenten's eyes were looking at the ground and Neji's were watching Tenten intently. Suigetsu was out cold. Tenten looked up; Neji had a rather peaceful, contemplating expression on his face rather than the usual cold one. That seemed to give Tenten some sort of relief to see it. He made her feel anxious with his cold looks. At least now, it wasn't so intimidating to look at.

Finally the silence was broke by Tenten. "You usually run faster than that."

Neji was broken out of his thoughts of what Sakura did to the poor kid in his arms and all the theories running through his head. Neji gave her a questioning look. "What do you mean?"

A small beautiful blush formed on Tenten's cheeks. "In gym, you usually run a lot fast but today you were behind us." Neji couldn't help smirk at the girl. Oh how he wanted her now. The need was slowly building up inside him. His darkness eagerly wanted to use her and to Neji that wasn't sounding like such a bad idea. It ached dully but he couldn't act on it now. He would have to wait. He looked down at Suigetsu in his arms to reaffirm himself of his decision to pursue Tenten. If Sakura could do it, then so could he. Besides, he liked the warm feeling in his chest that he got from her noticing him.

"Yes. I usually do." Neji agreed, continuing the conversation pleasantly, not showing any sign of his new goal with her.

The silence continued as they reached the doors to the clinic. Tenten held them open as Neji walked in.

Shizune, the school nurse was sitting at her desk. When she noticed the two walk in, she stood up. Her eyes landed on Suigetsu and she gasped.

"What happened to him?" Shizune asked as she led Neji to one of the bed to lay Suigetsu in.

"We were running laps and he collapsed." Tenten explained. "He was passed out when we caught up to him."

Shizune nodded her head. "Alright, I'll take a look at him. Why don't you two head back to class. Everything will be alright." Neji and Tenten nodded their heads and exited the room.

_He looks deathly pale_, Shizune thought to herself. _He is freezing too. Perhaps it's just lack of water topped with too much exercise on a weak body. _Suigetsu started to cough. Shizune stepped back and was about to turn away when she noticed that blood was dripping from the corner of his mouth. Shizune ran to the phone and called the hospital. Nothing she had here at the school clinic could help him. _Or maybe it is something much worse._

* * *

Hinata sat in her history class. Oh, how she hated learning about ancient civilizations. She sighed and waited for the bell to ring to signal class's end. She usually wasn't so distracted in her classes but before she had entered the classroom, Naruto had asked her to meet him for lunch under the tree again. _"Let's meet for lunch under our tree!"_ Hinata smiled. _Our tree._

She blushed embarrassed. After she had fainted the other day, she woke up with her head cradled in Naruto's lap and him playing with her hair. She almost fainted again from the position.

The bell rang and Hinata quickly gathered her belongings and walked toward the tree outside. Her heart was thumping erratically in her chest and she was breathing heavily.

She walked outside to see the blonde clad in orange and black sitting there waiting. His blue eyes landed on Hinata and she felt her heart stop for a moment. He was already up and running toward her.

"Hinata! Hi!" He exclaimed as he skidded next to her.

"Hi N-Naruto-kun." Hinata whispered back. She was never a loud talker.

Together the two walked toward the tree and sat beneath it. Naruto was nervously playing with grass and Hinata was pushing her index fingers against each other.

"I have a question for you, Hinata." Naruto finally said.

"W-What it is?" Hinata's eyes were as big as dishes as she waited for the question.

"What a-are you doing tomorrow night?" Naruto asked nervously, looking down at the blades of grass. Naruto didn't ask girls out often and was terrified on what to say and it wasn't like he could ask someone for help. Neji wouldn't answer him and if he did, it would be something sarcastic and mocking. Shikamaru would only give him a disapproving shake of the head and maybe even a sigh of distain. And Sasuke…he would kill Naruto before Naruto finished his question.

Hinata felt her face grow redder and began to stutter in response. "T-Tomorrow night? N-Nothing, I-I d-don't think."

"W-Would you like to maybe go and get some ramen with me?" Naruto asked, finally meeting Hinata's gaze. He was nervous beyond belief. For a girl he had only recently started talking to (and recent being only a few days), he couldn't get her out of his mind. He didn't know what it was about her, but Naruto liked her; liked her a lot. It had been a long time since Naruto felt like he could be honest with another person. She liked him for who he genuinely was and Naruto was slowly finding out that he liked her for who she genuinely was.

Hinata's heart stopped. _N-Naruto-kun is asking me on a date?_ "Y-Yes." Hinata mumbled. "I-I w-would love t-to."

Naruto grinned and jumped up excitedly. "Yes, yes, yes!" He cheered as he jumped around. Naruto wasn't sure why but hearing her say those words made him the happiest he had been in a real long time. He had been around gloomy blokes for too long that he forgot how good it felt to show emotion and not be shunned for it. It wasn't always like that but the Uchiha house had become quite a dark place in the last few years. Hinata watched the boy and couldn't help but laugh.

He was always energetic and smiling, one of the things Hinata really liked about him. No matter what, he could get her to laugh and smile. She cherished her moments with him and was happier beyond belief that she was finally able to be close to him.

He finally sat back down, much closer to Hinata then before and grinned at her. "So, can I pick you up at six?"

"T-That s-sounds good." Hinata nodded her head and smiled back.

* * *

Three of the usual four boys sat in Sasuke's room. Sasuke, Neji, and Shikamaru were all working on their homework and absentmindedly thought of their fourth, obnoxious friend.

As if answering their thoughts, Naruto strolled in with a big sappy face. He didn't even acknowledge the others as he laid back on Sasuke's bed with a sigh. Sasuke felt his eyebrow twitch. It was one thing for Naruto to be an idiot, but it was another for Naruto to be a sappy oblivious idiot.

"What's up with you?" Shikamaru asked, looking up from the blank homework sheet he had been using as a cover to daydream.

Naruto glanced over at the three sitting on the floor. Something seemed to register in his mind and his face went from one of bliss to one of horror. _What was he going to tell his friends? Sasuke was bound to be pissed. _"I had a good day." Naruto answered cryptically, looking away from his friends and at his hands.

Sasuke frowned. He had known Naruto for a long time and Naruto never gave brief and cryptic answers. "Why was it good?" Sasuke hissed. _What the hell was up with Naruto?_

"Oh, I…asked a girl out." Naruto muttered quietly, fearing Sasuke's response. Naruto was hardly a good liar but possibly omitting things would lessen the inevitable blow.

"Who is the girl?" Neji asked with one eyebrow raised that slightly mocked the blonde boy. Naruto asking someone out would surely make life interesting around here.

"…Hinata." Naruto answered nervously looking away from the three boys before him.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed and Naruto felt his heart stop beating. Naruto could tell from the dark energy coming from Sasuke that Sasuke was not pleased at all.

"Why?" Shikamaru asked, before Sasuke could speak. Shikamaru had seen the shy girl around plenty of times, they even had a few classes together, but he would never imagine Naruto to be interested in her.

"Well…I kind of might like her." Naruto mumbled and looked down. "A lot."

Sasuke stood up and grabbed Naruto by the collar of his shirt and yanked him off the bed harshly and out of the room, pulling Naruto down the stairs and out of the house.

Neji gave Shikamaru a brief look of boredom then went back to his Calculus work. _What an idiot._

Shikamaru shrugged to himself and closed his eyes to take a nap. _Eh, he should have seen it coming._

Both boys knew that Naruto was fucked but it was all his fault. He should have known.

* * *

The three girls were sitting in Ino's bedroom. Tenten had just finished telling them about her last period class with Asuma. Apparently Lee managed to piss off quiet, seething Gaara enough to be hit with a text book a couple of times. Hinata was only half listening as she thought about Naruto and the date tomorrow.

"Okay Hinata, what is up?" Ino asked getting the girl's attention by snapping her fingers in front of the Hyuga's face.

"Nothing." Hinata muttered and looked down at the blankets in her hands.

"Bullshit!" Tenten yelped. "You've been acting like this ever since you came back from lunch with Naru- Oh my god! What did the little freak do?" Tenten's mind immediately going to the worst possibility.

"N-Nothing!" Hinata shot back quickly. "He j-just asked me o-on a d-date." She stuttered shakily.

"Really?" Ino asked excited. "Stupid, loser Naruto asked you on a date?"

Hinata nodded her head with a small grin on her face. "When is it?" Tenten asked smiling at Hinata's little blushed grin.

"T-Tomorrow night." Hinata answered and was shocked when Ino grabbed Hinata's wrist and dragged her toward the closet.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Ino yelled. "We have to make sure you look smoking hot!"

"I-Its' okay, I-Ino. I was just going t-to wear-"

"No, trust me. Dating is my forte." Ino silenced the shy girl and started digging through her closet.

Tenten stood beside Hinata and whispered into her ear. "Just let Ino have her fun. Besides, you don't have to wear it. We don't want Naruto to think you're a slut."

Ino turned around and gave Tenten a dark look. "I don't look like a slut, thank you very much."

* * *

Sakura sat in the tree by Ino's window and watched the blonde pull out a few clothing items and hand them to Hinata to try on. Sakura shook her head at their antics and jumped from the tree, to the ground silently. She had heard enough of their conversation.

Itachi wasn't going to be happy that Naruto choosing to pursue things with Hinata. It was dangerous for everyone; Naruto, Hinata, Ino, Tenten, Shikamaru, Neji, Itachi, Sasuke, and even Sakura. Sakura wouldn't interfere with it though; she didn't want to be dragged further into the mess. Her only hope was Sasuke got word of it and made sure Naruto stopped it at once. Sakura hoped and pleaded that Sasuke's guilt was eating away at him and would force him to make sure that Naruto didn't make the same mistake as him. But then again, Sasuke probably could care less. Maybe Shikamaru…hell he probably doesn't give a fuck.

Sakura walked to her car that she had parked a block south of Ino's house. She climbed in and started to drive off. Where she was going, didn't matter to her. She turned the CD player in her car and listened to the ever present Van Halen CD.

As much as she despised the CD, she did love Van Halen and constantly listened to the CD. _'Ain't Talkin' Bout Love'_ flooded from the speakers and filled the car. Sakura drove toward her empty house and refused to think about _him._

* * *

The car was deadly quiet. Naruto was fidgeting nervous and Sasuke was as stoic as ever, driving down the dimly lit street. They had left without a word to anyone and Naruto had no idea where Sasuke planned on taking him. _Probably to his grave,_ Naruto thought with an audible gulp.

Abruptly, Sasuke pulled the car over and stopped, shutting the engine off. The two sat in the dark in silence and Naruto could feel the tension building up and between them. Sasuke, on the other hand, was working on what to say to make the dobe understand his foolishness for dragging the innocent girl into the mess.

"You are making a mistake." Sasuke spoke coldly. Naruto snapped his head to Sasuke.

Naruto felt guilt crash over him. "I'm not going to-"

"Not going to what? Hurt her? Bullshit Naruto." Sasuke snapped with a snarl. He then growled lowly, "It's impossible _not_ to hurt them."

"I'll be careful."

"Being careful isn't enough." Sasuke barked. "Just let her go. You won't want her very long anyways. That's how you are with most girls; don't make her another one nighter."

"What the hell do you know about how I feel about Hinata?!" Naruto hissed. _Fuck Sasuke for thinking he knows everything. Just because he was the King of Fuck-Ups, didn't mean he knew shit about what Naruto was going to do. _

"Then enlighten me. How the fuck do you feel about her?"

"You want to know? She understands me! She acknowledges me and is the only one who doesn't think about how much of a failure I am for messing up but think about how much effort I put in." Naruto growled maliciously. "She makes me nervous, more nervous than I have ever been about anything. She makes me want to be around her, not for sex or fulfilling a need but for being with her. She makes me smile genuinely. She makes me fucking happy!"

"You've only known her for a couple of days." Sasuke hissed venomously.

"I don't care." Naruto spat stubbornly. He looked down at his knees. "I don't know why but I know I like her."

Sasuke sat their quietly for a moment. "If you care about her that much, then you wouldn't pursue it any further."

"Why? So I won't fuck it up like you had? Or Shikamaru?" Naruto pressed.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "I'm trying to help you. If she finds out how and what you are, you think she is going to stay? You think she is going to stay by your side? You think you are going to be able to hold back and make sure she is happy? It's not going to work. One day you are going to hurt her and you won't be able to correct it."

"I'm not like you!" Naruto yelled back. "I won't ever hurt Hinata! I won't ever force her to do anything. I won't ever use her for my need and I would never, _ever_, hurt her." _Unlike you had_, Naruto silently added.

Sasuke's hands tightened on the wheel. He was seething. Naruto hit him with every one of his mistakes. Sasuke had pushed those thoughts out of his head but here was Naruto bringing them all back up, torturing Sasuke with mistakes he couldn't correct.

"How are you going to ensure it?" Sasuke jeered.

"I don't know, but I will make sure with every fiber of my being and soul that I will never hurt her. I will make sure that she is always happy and I will never, _ever,_ harm her."

"Those are kind words and all but no matter how hard you try you won't be able to stay true to them."

"I am not like you!" Naruto snarled.

Sasuke felt his eyes bleed red. He focused his gaze into his lap. "Don't hurt the girl." Sasuke whispered causing Naruto to stare. "If you do, you'll regret it. Every time you see her, you'll hate yourself more and more. Or you'll be like Shikamaru when _she_ died; you will feel nothing anymore. Everything will be numb to you." Sasuke's eyes returned back to normal as he looked over at Naruto. "Most importantly, if you fuck it up, you'll have Sakura to answer to. I believe her and Hinata were friends before..."

Naruto gulped. He didn't want to end up like Sasuke who hated himself, or Shikamaru who felt nothing anymore. He didn't want to upset Hinata, or Sakura for that matter. Sakura might literally kill him. Naruto just wanted to be happy with Hinata.

"I swear to my life, I will never hurt her." Naruto promised out loud.

"I hope for your sake, that you don't."

* * *

_Sakura was waiting in the spot he had told her to meet him at. She looked around and sighed. She had been waiting by the lake for at least an hour. Where was he? She played with the hem of her red shirt and tapped her foot in a random beat._

_ After the initial first date a couple of weeks ago, they had continued to see each other. They were practically together every day and if not, they were in some sort of communication. _

_ Suddenly a pair of arms wrapped around her and Sakura squeaked. She turned around to see him smirking down at her. Even though she was a little upset for waiting so long, she couldn't help but smile at him._

_ She gave him a quick peck on the lips along with a coy smile. He leaned down and gave her a long kiss. "Sorry I'm late." He murmured against her lips._

_ He pulled away and rested his forehead against hers. "It's okay." She breathed. He always managed to take her breath away._

_ "It is? Then I guess I don't have to give you a 'forgive me' gift." He watched as her green eyes widened with child-like delight. That was one of the things he loved about her; her innocence. She made him feel pure. She contradicted him and he savored it. _

_ "What is it?" She asked eagerly bouncing on her heels. Her smile was big and lopsided._

_ The two stepped apart as he reached into his back pocket a pulled out a flat gift wrapped in dark blue wrapping paper with a small red bow. He handed it to her with a small blush on his cheeks as he avoided eye contact. He never gave gifts to anyone, yet she made him do and feel a lot of things he hadn't before._

_ He watched her carefully open the wrappings and pull out the CD. He watched her eyes, which he loved, widened and sparkle upon reading the name of the band. Her lips pulled into a small beautiful smile that made his heart skip a beat. _

_ In an instant she tackled him into a hug and nuzzled his chest. His arms wrapped around her waist to hold her in place. "I take it you liked it." He murmured into her hair. She nodded her head._

_ She then looked up with a small smirk. "How did you know I love Van Halen?"_

* * *

**Hello! Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review, they really do give me motivation to keep writing.**

**Anyways, again, thank you for reading and see you next time. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Warning: This is a Vamp-High School AU and some characters will be a little OOC. **

**For Kayla, enjoy!**

* * *

Hinata sat in her room glancing at the clock every couple of minutes. It was almost six and she was waiting for Naruto to pick her up. Earlier that day he run up to her, enveloped her in a backbreaking hug and asked her for the address which he had forgotten to get the day before.

She stood up from her bed and started to pace. She gave Ino's clothing a brief look as they laid folded on her bed. Rather than wearing the revealing clothing that Ino had picked, Hinata settled for a three quarter sleeve grey top with a pair of pale faded jeans.

She heard the doorbell ring and she raced down stairs to open it. Unfortunately for her, Hanabi, her sister got there first. Hinata watched as her sister swung the door open and looked up Naruto with a cold, very Hyuga, look.

"Oh, uh, hello! Is Hinata there?" Naruto asked scratching the back of his head awkwardly as he looked down at the young girl who looked very similar to Hinata.

Hanabi frowned. "Who are you?" She crossed her arms stand-offishly.

"Oh! I'm Naruto." Naruto smiled brightly.

Hanabi's frown deepened. "Why do you want to see Hinata?"

"…I'm here to pick her up for our-"

Hinata ran down the stairs and stepped between Naruto and Hanabi. "Thanks f-for answering the d-door Hanabi." Hinata cut off Naruto. "J-Just tell f-father I'll be coming home l-later, okay? Thanks b-bye!" With that Hinata closed the door and turned to face Naruto. "S-Sorry a-about t-that." She blushed slightly embarrassed by her upfront sister.

Naruto just laughed. "It's okay! Come on, let's go!" He grabbed her hand and yanked Hinata toward the car.

* * *

Sasuke sat on the sofa in the first level of his home. It was always empty there and he often came there to think and be alone. Neji and Shikamaru were out getting food for everyone, they were allowed to do that much without supervision. Sasuke frowned when he thought about Naruto who was on his date tonight.

"Brother," Itachi called from the door to the basement. "We need to talk."

Sasuke turned and glared at Itachi. Itachi strolled over and sank into the spot on the couch next to Sasuke. "Speak."

"Neji has been behaving, correct?" Itachi asked coolly.

Sasuke looked at him with a bewildered look. "Yes. Hasn't Sakura told you as much?" Sasuke said snidely.

"She has been telling me you've all been good, but there has been a recent increase in victims." Itachi explained coolly. "Dead victims."

Sasuke's eyes widened, and then narrowed at Itachi's implication. "If you think me or the others have anything to do with it, you are wrong. Why not interrogate Hidan?"

"I have. None of my guys have done so. I wanted to make sure you four haven't either." Itachi stated collectedly.

"Well then it means Sakura is on a frenzy." Sasuke hissed sarcastically, although talking about the girl twisted his stomach into tight, uncomfortable, knots.

"Or," Itachi corrected. "It means there are others."

"Others?" Sasuke asked skeptically. What the hell was Itachi talking about? What did he even mean by others? Others like them?

"Yes, I had an encounter a few nights ago." Itachi explained. "It would seem that he also has a large group with him."

"Others…" Sasuke murmured to himself. Itachi caught this though.

"I want you and the boys to stay away from them." Itachi ordered. Sasuke raised his eyebrows. "We don't want to get mixed in with these guys. It could get bad, really fast."

Sasuke nodded in agreement. Sometimes his brother was correct. "I'll warn them."

Itachi stood up. "Good. They are an ugly bunch. It could mean a lot of trouble if we get caught. You can easily spot them." Itachi touched the junction where his neck and shoulder met. "They all have a tattoo of mitsudomoe there." Sasuke nodded his head. "Be care, little brother." Itachi went back down stairs, leaving Sasuke to his silent musings.

* * *

Sakura cursed Naruto to the seventh ring of hell; and while she was at it, Sasuke too, and Itachi. Just fuck them all. _Those bastards._

Naruto had taken Hinata to a ramen restaurant and were currently sitting outside talking. Both parties were laughing and blushing. Naruto was holding her hand over the table. Sakura was not pleased, not please at all.

She could tell by Hinata's face that she was falling hard for the boy. She looked just as happy and naïve as Sakura did back then, maybe even more so. Naruto had a stupid grin on too that reminded her painfully of _his_ smirk.

Sakura cursed under her breath again. She was sitting on the roof of the shop across the street watching and she was pissed. Not just at Naruto for pursing but Itachi, for not making him stop, Sasuke for not feeling any guilt to stop Naruto, Neji for being a bastard as usual, and Shikamaru for also letting it happen when he was supposed to understand. _Damn them all._

Naruto was currently trying to feed a red faced Hinata. Both of them laughed when he missed. Honestly it was cute, but she still despised them. Sakura could feel angry boil through her. _Why must he drag Hinata in? Couldn't he just leave her old friends alone?_

Sakura watched as they finished up their meal and paid for dinner. Naruto even paid for her, which stunned and angered Sakura even more. He was pulling all the stops and Hinata was eating out of his hands. She watched as Naruto held Hinata's hand as they walked down the street. He even gave her his jacket. It was sickening to watch the affectionate display.

Sakura, having decided she had seen enough climbed down from her spot on the roof and went to her car. Itachi better fucking do something or Sakura was going to kill Naruto, and that was a promise; and while she was at it, she would kill all the boys currently residing in the Uchiha house. That would solve all her problems and she would be free to live her life.

She left her friends for a reason. She didn't want them to know _any_ of this and now Naruto was going to ruin it all with one simple infatuation.

* * *

_"So I'll pick up the pizza and head over?"_ Tenten finalized with Ino over the phone.

"Sounds good, oh and pick up some of those garlicky breadsticks." Ino requested.

_"What about your diet? It's like that paleo-dinosaur one, right?"_ Tenten teased. _"Shouldn't you worry about the carbs or something?"_

"And I'm hanging up now." Ino snapped the phone shut. She was out walking when Tenten called and requested movie night. Ino agreed since Hinata was out on a date and she had just broken up with Mr. Kumo boy.

As she turned the corner she ran into a red headed girl. _Karin_, Ino remember since they shared the same science class. Being polite Ino said hello with a kind smile. She had to keep up appearances. She wasn't one of the most popular girls in school without reason.

Karin looked at Ino and smiled. "Hey, how are you?"

Ino gave Karin a skeptical look. They were never friends since Karin teased Sakura and Hinata when they were younger, but ever since Sakura became a loner Karin had been surprisingly nicer to the girls. "I'm good, what about you?"

"Better than that daft, Suigetsu. You hear that he is in the hospital after he collapsed?" Karin gossiped. "I just visited him. He is my neighbor and my parents and his brother were making me check up on the creep."

Ino's eyes widened. "Really?" Karin nodded her head. "I wonder why?"

Karin shrugged. "Who knows? He is all pale though. I almost feel sorry for him. He honestly looks like shit. Whatever he is going through, it isn't good." Karin sighed as she checked her phone for the time. "Shit, I got to go. I'll see you around." Ino nodded her head as Karin walked away.

Ino stood there. Suigetsu has been ill and sick ever since Kiba's party a week ago after he went upstairs with Sakura. What happened and what the hell did Sakura do to him to land him in the hospital?

* * *

The bell rang as Tenten entered the local pizzeria. She walked up toward the line to order and saw Shikamaru and Neji talking with the owner.

"I know it's a troublesome order but we are willing to pay." Shikamaru sighed obviously tired with the conversation taking place.

"How the hell do you to want me to come up with twenty pizzas now?" The owner yelled clearly upset.

"We are willing to wait." Neji proposed in a very professional and reasonable manner. "You don't have to rush them. We aren't in a hurry."

The owner growled. "How much are you offering?" The owner asked greedily.

"However for the amount of pizzas and you time." Shikamaru sighed as he waved his wallet around in a teasing manner.

The owner thought about it. "Fine, but next time, call ahead." The owner sighed. He then turned and walked toward the ovens muttering under his breath. "Damn annoying kids."

Tenten unsure of what to do shuffled toward the opening where you placed your order. Shikamaru sat down at the nearest table with his eyes closed but Neji watched Tenten. Neji smirked, at least he'd have something to do while waiting for the ridiculous order. He had been meaning to talk to her more since the party but found himself…_nervous_. Not that he'd ever admit that to anyone, he could barely admit it to himself. He was just worried. Not only had she sparked him interest, but the monster's as well.

"Just one pizza." Tenten repeated to the skeptical owner. "And one order of the garlicky breadsticks, please." He nodded he had and walked off. Tenten turned to see Neji standing behind her. "Oh," She blushed at his proximity, "Hello, Neji."

"Tenten." He nodded his head down to her politely.

Tenten look down at her feet. Neji always made her nervous with his intense stare. "So twenty pizzas?"

"Yeah it's a large…party." Neji managed to say conversationally.

Tenten couldn't help but snort. "I'll say." Neji gave her a strange look and she shrunk back a bit. She didn't know Neji that well and aside from the party and walking to the clinic with Suigetsu, they had never talked.

"When is your pizza supposed to be done?" Neji asked as he examined her.

"In about twenty minutes." Tenten answered confused. "Why?"

Instead of answering her question, Neji started to walk toward the door. "Come." Tenten stared at him confused but he didn't look at her. "Nara, I'll be back." Shikamaru didn't answer but Neji didn't seem to care as he walked out the door.

Tenten watch as Neji left the pizzeria and Shikamaru continued to sleep. Throwing caution to the wind, Tenten jogged after Neji. Hell, at least she'd have someone to talk to while she waited. She wouldn't mind getting to know the stoic Hyuga better anyways.

Lucky for her, he was waiting outside for her. Once she was next to him, they walked in silence. "So, why?" Tenten tried again. She eyed nervously at boy next to her.

Neji shrugged. "It's better than waiting there."

"I guess you're right." Tenten agreed as the two walked down the street.

"How was your friend?" Neji broke the silence. "The one that fainted at party?"

Tenten smirked. "Shouldn't you know, you're friend has been all over her recently."

Neji shrugged offhandedly. "I try not to associate with that idiot too much. If I were you, I'd keep an eye on your friend."

"Why?" Tenten asked interested.

"Do you really want to see what the long term effects of hanging out with Naruto are?" Neji said looked into Tenten's eyes seriously. "I'll give you a hint, it's not pretty."

Tenten laughed aloud at this and Neji couldn't help but bask in the pride of causing her to make such a lovely sound. Tenten smiled and look up at him wickedly. "And what about you?"

"What about me?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Well, aren't you and Naruto close? Shouldn't you be suffering from some kind of long term effects too?" She giggled.

Neji frowned. "No, I'm on a whole other level. Naruto can't change me, even if he tried."

Tenten smiled. "Uh huh, okay. I'll believe you for now."

"What alternative do you have?" Neji stopped in his tracks and turned to face her fully.

"I'm sure Naruto would share his own opinion." Tenten grinned widely.

Neji leaned down so the two of them were at eye level with each other. "But do you really want to do that to yourself?"

Tenten laughed again. "You know, you aren't so bad."

"Meaning?" Neji frowned and crossed his arms over his chest.

Tenten shrugged. "I kind of always had this maybe not so nice impression of you…"

"Care you explain?" Neji asked deeply interested. He was more than curious of what Tenten thought of him.

"I just always thought you were cold and, well I don't know, kind of…angry and abrasive…just someone who doesn't really care to be around others." Tenten muttered, not looking at him directly.

Neji didn't seem the least bit put off by that. "And how has your impression changed?"

Tenten looked up at him shyly. "I think deep down, Hyuga Neji might just be a softy."

Neji made a disgruntled face. "Go back to the first impression."

Tenten laughed. "Nope! I'm sticking with this one!"

Neji let out an audible groan. "No, I have to prove to you I'm not."

Tenten furrowed her brows. "Really? How do you propose you're going to do that?"

"I guess I'll just have to be an asshole."

"Oh, Neji," Tenten touched his arm. "Just because you are a big softy inside, doesn't stop you from being an asshole."

Neji's heart quickly sped up from Tenten's touch. He couldn't fathom why she was affecting him so much and it made him extremely nervous. He really didn't want to hurt her but he couldn't help but what to know her more. "I'm glad you see me in such a glorious light." He muttered sarcastically.

"Don't worry." Tenten began to walk back towards the pizzeria, "You have plenty of time to change that."

* * *

Naruto pulled up in front of Hinata's house. They sat in the car for a while, simply holding hands in silence. Suddenly, to Naruto's disappointment, Hinata removed her hand. He looked over and she gave him a sad smile.

"I-I s-should go now." Hinata sighed. "I had a f-fun time."

"Me too." Naruto agreed. "Let me walk you to the door." Hinata nodded her head as they both climbed out of the car. He ran up beside her and grabbed her hand again. Throughout the entire night, Naruto had to have some sort of contact with the girl or it would drive him crazy. He liked touching her. It made him feel warm and at home. Together the two reached the door and stood in front of each other. "We should do this again."

Hinata nodded her head with a small smile. "Yes we should. It was a lot of fun to hang out together." Naruto grinned widely.

"Hey, no stuttering!" Naruto cheered which caused Hinata to go red. "No, it's not a bad thing!"

At this Hinata laughed. "T-Thank you, N-Naruto-kun."

"No, thank you, Hinata." Naruto grinned as he scratched the back of his head nervously. He looked around shyly. Then without warning, he leaned down and pressed his lips onto Hinata's. She jump in shock but soon found herself closing her eyes.

Not two seconds later did the door swung open. Hinata and Naruto jumped away, each embarrassed. Lucky for Hinata, her sister stood there wide eyed, and not her father.

"Were you two busy or something?" Hanabi asked confused by the two blushing eighteen years old.

Naruto grinned sheepishly and Hinata went red. "Well, I'll see you later, Hinata." Naruto blushed and walked off. He got about halfway down the driveway before he turned around and ran back up to Hinata and Hanabi. He wanted to say good bye properly.

Without saying a word, he pulled Hinata to him and kissed her again, to her and Hanabi's shock. He pulled away and grinned at her. "Good night."

"G-Good n-night, N-Naruto-kun." With one more kiss, Naruto ran happily off to his car and drove off, honking the horn in a final goodbye.

Hinata and Hanabi stared. Hanabi regarded her sister. "You just got kissed."

Hinata nodded her head with a red face before turning to her sister. Hinata's normally shy demeanor went away as an evil one replaced it. "Tell father and I'll tell him all about Konohamaru and you."

Hanabi gapped at her sister and narrowed her eyes. "You wouldn't."

"Try me." Hinata threatened lightheartedly. Only around her little sister did her stuttering stop completely, although it significantly dropped after a while with Naruto which pleased Hinata immensely.

Hinata walked up to her room, after a quick word with her father, and fell back onto her bed with a large grin as she rested her fingers on her lips. _Good night, Naruto-kun._

* * *

Shikamaru and Neji had finished loading the pizzas after an hour and a half wait and were on their way back to Sasuke's. Shikamaru was driving while Neji sat in the passenger's seat.

"You better be careful, Neji." Shikamaru warned.

"What?" Neji looked over to the lazy genius.

"When you play with fire you get burned." Shikamaru shrugged knowing Neji would understand what he was talking about.

"Are you talking about Tenten?" Neji asked. Shikamaru nodded his head. "I'll be careful. Just don't mention it to Sasuke; you saw what happened with Naruto. The bastard would probably kill me if and when he finds out."

"I won't mention a word, just don't mess up. It'll be troublesome and we'd both get into trouble for it." Shikamaru warned. Shikamaru didn't approve of what Neji was doing but he didn't want to get on his bad sides. Shikamaru wasn't sure Neji could handle the monster inside him, even if it had been dormant for a longtime. If _she_ were here now, _she _would have called him out on his cowardliness.

Neji nodded silently. "Don't worry, I'm under control."

* * *

_**He**_ crouched low in the tree, watching his prey. It had been a long time since _**he**_ had been let out of _**his**_ restraints and _**he**_ was not going to waste a second of it. It had been too long since _**he**_ had tasted the fresh air and even longer since _**he**_ had tasted fresh blood. _**He**_ would not waste this opportunity.

Usually, _**he**_ was under the close watch of _**his**_ other half, otherwise known at Neji. _**He**_ didn't care much for Neji but they were in a forced symbiotic relationship. _**He**_ couldn't live without Neji while Neji would fall apart without _**him**_. _**He**_ knew this very well and thrived best with this knowledge in hand. Only _**he**_ could swallow Neji's darkness, simply because _**he**_ was Neji's darkness.

But Neji made a mistake; he lost his grip on the restrains that locked _**him**_ inside Neji. One night, a few drinks, and the smell of _that girl_ was enough for _**him**_ to break out of Neji tight hold. Now _**he**_ got to play, but only at night. He didn't want to through those off that were close to Neji. While Neji was pushed out of control of their shared body, _**he**_ would come out to play.

From _**his**_ spot on the tree, _**he**_ had a clear view of the two figures in the well lit room. They were two girls, about the same age as his other half. One was a blonde and he didn't have much interest for her, but the other one…the brunet was the reason he came out tonight and the reason _**he**_ would continue to come out.

It only took one smell to get _**him**_ hooked. Neji had been foolish and loosened his grip so now _**he**_ was free to play with _**his**_ new victim. _**He**_ would have to wait though. _**He**_ couldn't claim her yet. _**He**_ would wait until the perfect moment, the moment where Neji completely let go and _**he**_ had full control because even know, Neji was still hanging on. _**His**_ other half would just not let go. But that didn't matter; Neji thrived in the light while _**he**_ thrived in the darkness. _**He**_ was more powerful than Neji right now, which was why _**he**_ was able to control their shared body.

_**He**_ waited outside the house for what seemed like hours to Neji, but only seconds to _**him**_. _**He**_ was completely captivated by _**his**_ prey and couldn't wait until _**he**_ got to sink his teeth into that delectable flesh.

* * *

Sakura sat at the park's lake and sighed. After watching Hinata and Naruto's date, Sakura came to the park. She would have to go and tell Itachi later but not now. She wanted to see if it would die down on its own. She was going to give it a couple of weeks. Naruto was an idiot but he should at least have a chance to kill it himself before Sakura would force herself in. Naruto was pretty good at destroying things on his own, he might not even need her help.

Sakura dipped her feet into the lake and watched the ripples break the surface. As much as she hated the lake, she came there lot. She closed her eyes, how she wished she didn't ever come here and meet _him_.

A rustle of bushes announced the arrival of a new person. Sakura stiffened and turned around to see a white haired man with rounded glasses. He spotted her and walked over towards her with a small smile. He sat down beside her. He looked content and Sakura regarded him skeptically. _Who the hell was this?_

"You…have an interesting hair color." The man said. Sakura watched him weary but didn't choose to answer. "I haven't seen you around here before, but then again, I'm new." Sakura absorbed this information and stored it. "My name is Kabuto, what is yours?"

"Sakura." She responded hesitantly, but if she was going to get any answers, she was going to have to give something back.

"Fitting for a girl with pink hair and green eyes." Kabuto chirped in agreement.

"Why are you talking to me?" Sakura asked monotonous.

"Because you are here, but shouldn't you be at home?" Sakura didn't answer again so Kabuto tried again. "Or out with a boyfriend perhaps."

"No." Sakura deadpanned.

"Why not?" Sakura didn't respond. "Did you guys just break up or has it been a while."

"I don't believe it is any of your concern." Sakura blurted out. She didn't trust this man and stood up, slipping her shoes on.

"Going so soon after we just going into the interesting topics?" Kabuto asked. Sakura didn't respond. "Not a talkative one, are you? No matter, just give a message to someone for me, please?" Sakura froze and looked at him. "You'll have to excuse me for I do not know your friend's name but tell the boy with the white eyes and bored face that he should hide his conquests a bit more or else someone might snatch his little toy."

Sakura's face remained emotionless as she analyzed the man in front of her._ What the hell did he know about Neji and what the fuck did Neji do?_ Sakura's mind instantly went to the worse possible scenario and it was not pretty. "I'll make sure to relay the message."

With that Sakura turned and exited the woods leaving that Kabuto character behind who grinned pleased with himself.

* * *

_Sakura sat on her bed furiously typing at her keyboard. She was upset at Ino to hear that she had extended her stay in Suna for another couple of weeks, leaving Sakura all alone in Konoha. Tenten and Hinata were due back until the end of summer break but Ino was supposed to come back and join her for the remainder of summer. They had all these plans and they just went down the drain, plus Sakura wanted Ino to meet-_

_ A knock on her window interrupted her thoughts. She looked nervously over to the window to see him waiting patiently for her to open it. Her nervousness dissipated along with her anger towards Ino. All her troubles seemed to disappear in his presence. He could always make her smile._

_ Immediately Sakura jumped off her bed and raced to wrench the window open. She stepped back to let him through. Wordlessly, he climbed in, shutting the window behind him. Once he was in, he pulled Sakura to him and kissed her. They stood there for a while before Sakura pulled away slightly._

_ "What are you doing here?" Sakura asked._

_ "Are your parents' home?" He countered. Sakura shook her head no. "Are they coming home soon?"_

"_They are coming back tomorrow afternoon." Sakura sighed against him._

_He narrowed his eyes. "You shouldn't be here alone."_

_Sakura rolled her eyes. "I would have been fine."_

_He raised his eyebrows clearly not impressed with her declaration. "And if some stranger were to break in?"_

_Sakura shook her head. "Well it's a good thing you're here then." Sakura copied his smirk. _

"_Good thing." He kissed her again and Sakura kissed back almost as eagerly. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He walked toward her bed and laid her there and crawled over her. He gave Sakura another kiss before shutting her laptop and putting it on her night stand and then turning off her light. "Someone has to protect you from intruders now. Mind if I spend the night?" He whispered teasingly into her ear. _

_ "Not at all." She whispered back before he attacked her mouth again._

* * *

**Hello, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. Please review, your words mean a lot. Thanks again!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Warning: Vampire/High School AU. There is some OOCness.**

**For Kayla, enjoy. **

* * *

"Suigetsu, you have a visitor." A nurse with blonde hair informed the white haired teen.

Suigetsu watched as the nurse walked out and was replaced by an orange haired boy with red eyes. "Jugo! It's been a while since you visited me!" Suigetsu instantly replaced his grimace with a jovial smile.

"I came here to give you the class notes and homework." Jugo stated professionally as he set the folder on the table beside Suigetsu's bed.

"Thanks buddy. You're really cheering a fellow up." Suigetsu sighed dramatically as he slumped back into the bed. He had been stuck in for nearly two and a half months. After he had passed out in gym, he had been sent to the hospital where they couldn't seem to find what was wrong with him. They ran thousands of tests and kept drawing his blood and they still hadn't found shit.

"How much longer are you going to be in here?" Jugo asked ignoring Suigetsu's dampened attitude as he eyed the machinery hooked up to Suigetsu.

"Who knows," Suigetsu shrugged. "They can't figure out what is wrong with me. I start to get better and all of the sudden, I'm sick again. It's fucking stupid."

"It's been two and a half months since you got sick." Jugo observed.

"I know. I hate sitting on this fucking bed! I just wish I knew who did this to me so I can teach them a lesson." Suigetsu threatened. "I wish someone knew who I was with last, that way I'd be able to get some fucking answers."

"The last time I saw you at Kiba's, you were with Haruno Sakura, the pink headed girl." Jugo stated aloof. Suigetsu froze.

"Jugo." Suigetsu turned to face the larger man with a dark expression. "Why the hell didn't you fucking tell me earlier?" _So that pink haired bitch did this to me. _

"I thought you'd remember." Jugo's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "I didn't realize you were stupid."

"I can't remember anything from that night, stupid or not." Suigetsu hissed. "So she probably did this to me. And all this time I've been blaming, the bitch, Karin. Well no matter. I will teach her a little lesson."

"What are you going to do? You are stuck in the hospital." Jugo stated dully.

"I will figure something out." Suigetsu promised. He then looked at Jugo and edited his sentence. "_We_ will figure something out." _Just wait, bitch. You are going to pay._

* * *

Tenten, Hinata, and Ino leaned against their lockers. Ino was telling them all about her new boyfriend and their upcoming date. She was going over possible outfits and hairstyles, which both Hinata and Tenten could really care less about.

Tenten was only half listening. She couldn't really focus on the words Ino was saying. Tenten was lost in daze thinking about Neji. Ever since Neji had come up to her two months ago, the two of them had hung out quite often, practically every day. They just simply got along. While Tenten loved her friends, Neji was new and fresh. She could talk about weird and dorky things with Neji that Ino had no interest in and Hinata had no knowledge of. It was just nice to hang out with someone who shared her interests. It didn't help that he was _very_ attractive, as Ino constantly reminded her.

Tenten wouldn't go as far to say she had a crush on him, but he had definitely piqued her interest. He was handsome, there was no denying that. But it was more than that; he was funny in a weird and sarcastic sort of way. He also was a mega dork, not that anyone else would have known that. He was also extremely polite and very well-mannered which was hard to believe since he was friends with Sasuke (who was an asshole to everyone), Naruto (who was a messy, slob) and Shikamaru (who was careless and lazy). Every passing moment, Tenten found herself becoming more and more interested in the surprising Hyuga boy.

Ino insisted that Tenten was falling in love with Neji and even Hinata thought she was developing a crush on Neji. No matter what Tenten said, they continued to mess with her about it. Ino was already picking out their children's names.

Tenten sigh and she looked at the clock. School was over and she was about to meet up with Neji. Every Friday, when she walked home from school, Neji waited outside the school for her and walked with her home. He had somehow figured out that her parents worked late Friday nights and took that as his opportunity to see her, not that she didn't mind. She liked the company.

After collecting her bag, the three girls walked out of the building. Hinata was whisked away by Naruto in an instant, something about a two month anniversary. Ino walked toward her house which was on the other side of town, leaving Tenten alone.

Not two minutes after their departure did Tenten notice a figure step beside her. She looked up in amusement to meet two bored white eyes. If Tenten didn't know any better, she would have thought he wasn't even remotely interested in anything to do with her.

"Tenten." Neji stated politely, a hint of a smirk grazing his lips. He easily took her backpack from her as he greeted her. He always did as the polite gentleman he was.

"Neji." Tenten grinned as they fell into step and began the walk to her apartment. "How was your day?"

Neji shrugged. "Fine, yours?"

"Boring." Tenten sighed and Neji chuckled. "Hey!" She smacked him lightly. "Don't laugh at me."

"I don't laugh." Neji rolled his eyes.

"Don't _giggle_ at me." Tenten corrected with a big grin on her face.

Neji frowned. "Tenten." He warned her but she just laughed him off and began to skip off, waiting for Neji to catch up at the end of the sidewalk.

Once he caught up, they continued to walk while talking about random topics. Tenten was watching him closely. He was really too nice to her. Not that she didn't appreciate him; she was just simply surprised by how kind he was. She still thought he was too perfect to be human and just kept waiting for his fatal flaw, but it was beginning to become apparent there he didn't have one.

Neji was walking very close to Tenten so that their shoulders brushed every now and then. Tenten blushed every time they made contact but made no move to pull away. Every time their touched, Neji felt a warm buzzing in his chest and he didn't want it to stop.

They reached her apartment building and climbed into the elevator. Tenten's neighbor, Genma was inside the elevator as well. Genma was a young man with brown hair who always wore a bandana and had a toothpick in his mouth. He was a laid back sort of guy who liked to mess around with Tenten. She had known him ever since she was seven.

"Hey, Tenten, Neji." Genma nodded his head at the two kids. About a week after Neji's first time over at Tenten's, Genma started to notice Neji's presence around the apartment complex and Neji took it upon himself to introduce himself politely. Unfortunately, Genma took this as fuel to mess with Tenten by constantly referring the Neji as her boyfriend. Genma became very fond of Neji and often joked around with him.

"Hello, Genma." Neji greeted pleasantly.

"Hi." Tenten greeted with a skeptically smile, just waiting for Genma to say something inappropriate.

"You two heading up." Genma asked as he pressed their floor number. Neji and Tenten nodded their heads.

The elevator stopped on their floor and the three exited the elevator. Genma stopped at his door and turned to the two teens that stood in front of Tenten's door across the hall. "Have a good night and have fun." He winked and walked in. Genma smirked as he closed the door. He never missed a chance to tease Tenten.

The door closed and Neji and Tenten avoided each other's eyes as they both blushed.

* * *

"Close your eyes!" Naruto demanded with a goofy grin. Hinata regarded him suspiciously but did as she was told. "Okay, now don't peek. I'll be back in a second."

"O-Okay." Hinata nodded her head wondering what on earth her boyfriend was up too. He had dragged her to the student parking lot after school and explained how he had an entire night planned. He even borrowed Neji's car for the night which Neji, oddly enough, willingly let Naruto take.

Currently, she was sitting on the hood of the car, eyes closed. She could hear his footsteps return from the driver's side door as they stopped in front of her. "Okay, open your eyes!" Hinata did as she was told and gasped. Naruto, with a little blush on his cheeks, was holding an orange wrapped gift. "Happy Two Month Anniversary!"

"N-Naruto-kun, you shouldn't have." Hinata blushed but he pushed the small gift into her hands. Normally Hinata would find it odd to celebrate a two month anniversary but the look on Naruto's face was something she couldn't refuse. It made her happy to see him happy. Even if Ino and Tenten joked around about it, Hinata couldn't help but be happy about it.

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it." He grinned embarrassedly but watched her hold the gift carefully in her delicate hands.

Hinata started to unwrap the gift. Naruto watched anxiously as her eyes widened. "N-Naruto-kun." Naruto waited nervously for her next word but didn't receive any. Instead he felt her arms wrap around his neck. He looked down at her beautiful smiling face.

"I take it you liked it?" Naruto asked with a grin. Hinata nodded her head, giving him a small kiss on the lips.

She swiftly slide off the car and turned around and tucked her hair over her shoulder. She then looked back at Naruto. "C-can you help m-me put it on?"

Naruto felt his heart skip a beat. She looked absolutely gorgeous and Naruto right there and then knew he was the luckiest guy in the world. "Yeah, sure." Naruto grinned as he walked behind her. She handed him the necklace he had given her, a blue-green pendent with a silver bead on each side. It was a very special memento of the past for Naruto but he wanted Hinata to have it, to show her how much she meant to him.

He clasped the necklace around her neck and she turned around. "W-Well?" She asked nervously.

"Beautiful." Naruto leaned down and kissed her.

"D-Do you w-want your gift?" Hinata asked. Naruto grinned. She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a small envelope. Naruto grabbed it and shredded it open. He reached in a pulled out three slips of paper.

His eyes widened and he grabbed Hinata and pulled her into a tight hug, crushing her small form. "You are the best girlfriend in the word. I don't deserve you. Thank you so much, Hinata!" He cried into her hair.

"I-It really is n-nothing!" Hinata blushed. It really wasn't, it was just a few free ramen coupons.

* * *

Sakura gulped. She really didn't want to be here but she had been pushing it off for a long while. With a dramatic sigh, she climbed out of the beat up Elantra and walked up toward the two story house. As she walked up the steps, she glared at the house. She didn't like it one bit.

She pulled out her ring of keys and quickly found the one with the white and red uchiwa fan on the bow of the key. She inserted it into the lock and opened the door. After closing it behind her she shrugged off her jacket and hung it on the hook.

She walked further into the first level of the house and realized she wasn't alone. On the couch were Shikamaru who was asleep and Sasuke who watched her with his blank onyx eyes.

Without any sign of acknowledgment, Sakura rapidly spun around and walked toward the basement where Itachi would be. She swung open the door and quickly entered, desperate to put as much distance between herself and Sasuke.

Sakura descended the stairs and before she had both feet on the ground of the basement, she was lifted into the air by a slicked back white haired man.

"Well, if it isn't our little blossom!" Hidan grinned, his purple eyes sparkling.

"Put me down." Sakura ordered. Hidan seemed to take the hint from her serious tone and set her down disgruntled.

"Fine." Hidan shrugged and walked toward the bar. "Fucking bitch." He hissed under his breath.

Sakura walked toward Itachi who was sitting in his arm chair talking to Sasori. Itachi's black eyes settled on Sakura and he dismissed himself from Sasori.

"It's been a while." Itachi greeted. "Two months since our last chat?"

"We need to talk." Sakura demanded.

"Fine, fine." Itachi agreed as he led the way toward the bar, giving Hidan and Zetsu a look to get lost from the area. Itachi leaned against the wall while Sakura sat at the counter. "So what do you need to talk with me about?"

"Any news on the Kabuto guy?" Sakura asked. After her meeting with the guy she drove over to Itachi as quickly as possible. Itachi instructed her to keep an eye out and say nothing.

"All I know is that he is connected to Orochimaru and is good at covering his tracks." Itachi said.

"What about Neji?" She hissed. Sakura didn't like the idea of the lunatic harassing some innocent girl.

"No one has mentioned anything so that means two things: One, no one knows, or two,"

"They are hiding it from you." Sakura finished. Itachi nodded his head. "I'll keep an eye out."

"Good." Itachi nodded as he pushed off the wall. "Are you leaving?" Sakura nodded her head. "Alright, stay safe." With that Sakura left the basement. She walked to the first level to find the Shikamaru and Sasuke had left. Sakura shrugged, grabbed her coat, and walked to her car eager to leave the haunting Uchiha house.

* * *

Neji sat in Tenten's apartment patiently as Tenten sat front of her television, untangling wires. He watched amused as she eyed two unplugged cables heads, seemingly unsure of where they were supposed to go in the first place. She growled to herself in frustration.

"Need help?" He asked for the fifth time, but already knew the answer.

"_No_, I got this." Tenten hissed lowly as she continued to fumble with the wires. She had set up the stupid console a thousand times but she still had no idea where these cables went.

"Wasn't it plugged in Tuesday when I was over here?" Neji asked as he leaned back in his seat on the couch.

"Yeah but my mom unplugged it." Tenten growled.

Neji frowned. "Why?"

Tenten threw the wires down to the ground. "I have no idea. You fix it." Tenten looked up at him disgruntled.

Neji smirked and got up from the couch and kneeled beside her. "Want to see something amazing?" Neji asked after a moment of inspection.

Tenten blinked, not sure where Neji was going with this. "Sure…" She responded cautiously.

Neji swiftly pulled the long cable from the rest of the tangled mess to reveal the two ends she was confused about were actually on the same wire. "This," He gestured teasingly. "Is a cellphone cable."

"I hate you." Tenten snatched the cable from him and stood up. "You are the worst."

"I know." He rolled his eyes as he went back to his seat on the couch.

Tenten sat beside him. "Oh, so do you just know everything?" Tenten muttered darkly as she turned on her controller.

"Pretty much."

"You must also know that you're an asshole then." Tenten began to go through the onscreen options.

"I told you I was." Neji smirked as Tenten picked their shared mission file. "But do you think we can put our differences aside to kill these hordes of zombies?"

Tenten grinned wickedly. "I'm willing to if it is for the sake of humanity."

Together, the two of them drove into their game. They played the game for hours, both of them intently focusing on the screen. Tenten consistently made enthusiastic noises along the way as they pushed on with their mission. It wasn't until they got their fifth accomplishment that Tenten decided they needed a break from killing zombies and stealing cars.

"Want something to drink?" Tenten asked as she set the controller down and stood up. She swiftly moved into the kitchen.

"No, thank you." Neji declined kindly as he watched her from his seat. She joined him moments later with her own drink.

"Do you drink anything?" Tenten teased.

"Of course." Neji rolled his eyes at her absurdity. "Now I have to ask you a rather important question." His eyes staring deeply into hers.

Tenten watched him carefully. "Shoot."

Neji nodded his head in the direction of the window beside the television. "Why are there three locks on the window? Those weren't there before, were they?"

Tenten blushed and set her drink on the coffee table. "Promise you won't laugh."

Neji smirked. "I already told you I don't laugh."

Tenten shot him a serious look. "Just promise."

Neji nodded his head stiffly. "I promise."

"Okay," Tenten sighed. "A month or so ago when my parents were out of town for the week, I was waken up in the middle of the night by a weird noise outside. It scared the shit out of me and I went to the window to see what it was and…well, standing on the corner of the street was a man. He was, I think, looking into the window. I couldn't really see his face but he wasn't moving from that spot. He just kept looking at my window. I nearly had a heart attack.

"So I closed the window and was the bed after locking everything up. I even brought a knife with me to bed, I was so freaked out. I couldn't sleep that night because he was really freaking me out. I mean, I don't think he left at all, Neji.

"So the next night, I was still freaked out and I went to check the window and he was out there again but this time he was closer. This kept happening for a week. He would just stand there and stare at the window and each night he would move closer to the building. He wasn't even trying to hide! Seriously, I was afraid one night that I would wake up and he would be _in _my apartment.

"I finally ended up sleeping over at Genma's because I was so scared. But the thing is, when my parents came back from their trip, he was gone. I went to check every night but I didn't see him. I haven't seen him since but I have the weird feeling sometimes that he is still there."

Neji froze as he listened to her tell her story. Neji knew exactly what she was talking about because he had witness it as well. It was the monster inside him. He was trying to scare Tenten, trying to make its prey squirm.

"Did you see what he looked like?" Neji asked carefully. Even if the monster was the one stalking Tenten, he was doing so with Neji's body while Neji could only watch from the backseat unable to stop him.

Tenten shook her head as she hugged one of the throw pillows to her chest. "No, not really. The street lamp on the corner has been out for almost six months so it is completely dark over there. I could just barely see the outline of him, let alone any details."

Neji was drenched in guilt. He watch as Tenten let out a shaky sigh. She was terrified, even if she didn't want to show it. Neji reached out and put his hand on her shoulder. "It'll be okay." He stated lamely. He knew different though.

Tenten sighed. "I know." She smiled. "Thanks for not laughing."

Neji cocked his eyebrow. "Give me some credit." He murmured.

"I know." She leaned in slightly. "Just…thanks anyways." Tenten slowly leaned up and brushed her lips against Neji's. Tenten let out a small sigh. His lips were soft and warm. Before Neji could even response, Tenten pulled away and turned away from him bright red in the face. "Sorry about that!" She exclaimed immediately with embarrassment coating her words.

Neji sat there in shock as two emotions crashed through him. The first one was an emotion he wasn't used to feeling. It made his chest feel tight and warm. It was a nice feeling. Happiness. He knew he liked Tenten. She was one of the only people he felt that he could be normal around and apparently, she was reciprocating those feelings. That was a good feeling.

The second one that followed quickly washed away any happiness and drowned him in guilt. While he liked Tenten, so did the monster living inside him and the closer he got to Tenten, the more dangerous it was for her. Hell, it was already stalking her at night. He didn't want to hurt her; he had already scared her so much.

Neji quickly stood up. Tenten watched as he grabbed his bag. "I have to go." He stated emotionlessly. He had to cut off contact with her. It was the only way to protect her now. He had no control over that monster and the closer he kept getting to Tenten, the closer the monster got. He had to be cold and leave her.

Tenten bit her lip and nodded her head shakily. "O-Okay." Tenten watched as Neji left without another word. The minute the door closed, she fell back on the couch, grabbing her hair. She was so stupid! She wasn't even sure why she did it! She just did it without thinking. She probably freaked Neji out and Tenten fucked it all up. She had been rejected and it hurt. It felt like someone punched her in the gut.

Tenten laid on that couch in self-loathing for a long time, not having the strength or the will to move. She felt like she was being crushed. She just lost a friend, granted a fairly new one, but one she had grown fond of…so fond she kissed him away.

* * *

The two dark haired boys sat on the roof of the two story house. After Sakura had entered the Uchiha house, Sasuke and Shikamaru left the first level and climbed up to the roof. This was their place that only of the two of them went.

It was the only place the two could think and where the two could talk about things that Naruto wouldn't understand and Neji couldn't empathize with. Only Shikamaru and Sasuke could understand each other on certain issues that were a little too close to the heart for comfort.

"You miss her, don't you?" Shikamaru asked, as he looked up at the dark clouds in the night sky. He was lying on his back while Sasuke was sitting up straight, looking at the sky line.

"Yeah." Sasuke confessed. "I don't know which is worse." Shikamaru turned his head to look at Sasuke. "Loving a person who is gone forever or loving a person who isn't yours."

Shikamaru remained silent for a moment. "Loving a person who is dead is hard, but you can't change the dead. You at least have a chance with the living while the dead is set in stone, forever."

"Yeah, but the living will put you through constant pain." Sasuke added. "The dead brings closure."

"Both prospects are a drag." Shikamaru sighed.

"Do you ever wish things turned out differently?" Sasuke asked after moment.

"If you mean, do I wish she didn't die? My answer is yes, I still wish she was alive." Shikamaru answered snidely.

"No, I mean, do you wish you left her out of it."

"Sometimes." Shikamaru admitted. "But then I think of all the good times I had with her and as selfish as it is, I wouldn't give up those moments for the world. They were some of the only times I've truly been happy."

Sasuke nodded his head and sighed. "Sometimes, I feel the same with _her_."

* * *

_"Do you have any sevens?" Sakura asked with a giggle._

_ "No." He answered with a frown. _

_ "You didn't say the whole thing." Sakura sang childishly._

_ The man in front of her sent a mocking glare. "Go fish." He hissed which caused Sakura to giggle again. "Why are we playing this?"_

_ "Because," Sakura explained as she fished for a card in the pond. "You promised we would do something fun."_

_ "Playing 'Go Fish' is fun, Sakura?" He asked bewildered._

_ Sakura laughed. "Not necessarily, but watching you play is." She teased._

_ The man in front of her threw down the cards. "I'm not playing anymore."_

_ "Oh come on, let's at least finish the game!" Sakura begged, setting her cards down as well._

_ "No." He crossed his arms. _

_ "Please?" Sakura crawled closer to him._

_ "No." He looked away from the pinkette who was getting closer._

_ "Pretty, pretty, please with a cherry on top?" Sakura managed to crawl onto his lap and wrap her hands around his neck._

_ "No." He grunted as he ignored the tempting girl in his lap._

_ "Stop being childish!" She fake pouted._

_ "I'm not being childish." He glared. "The answer is still no."_

_ "I'll make a deal with you!" The man looked down at her and she smiled. "Okay! So after the game we can do whatever you want!" The boy raised his dark eyebrow waiting to hear her suggestions. "I even caught word that there is a Godfather marathon on in an hour and I happen to know the number of a pizza place nearby and I can probably snag us a few tomato, spinach, and onion pizzas."_

_ The boy sent her his classic smirk, gently removing her from his lap, and picked up his cards. "Have an ace?"_

* * *

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Thank you all for the lovely reviews and thank you everyone for reading, it truly means the world. Have a great day and please review! Until next time :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

**Warning: This is a Vampire/AU and there is some OOCness.**

**For Kayla.**

* * *

A week had gone by since Hinata and Naruto had the two month anniversary and the two seemed happier than ever. Tenten watch wearily as Naruto held Hinata's books for her chattering some nonsense that Hinata found funny. He honestly did seem like a good boyfriend but every time she saw him, she could help but think about Neji and her royal fuck up.

It had been a whole week and Tenten had not spoken a word to Neji. She was actually avoiding him, not that he would notice since he seemed to be ignoring her. Tenten hated herself for putting herself in this stupid situation. If she had just stayed platonic with him, nothing weird would have happened!

Tenten tried to flush those thoughts away. Thinking about Neji wasn't going to do her any good, especially if he didn't want to speak to her anyways. She wanted to talk to him, she really did, but she was scared. She hated herself for being so scared, but she was scared of what he would say to her. He obviously didn't see her that way with the way he left so abruptly.

Unfortunately, Neji was the only safe topic in her mind because the only other topic that would surface was her little stalker. While she hadn't seen him in a while, she could tell he was there. It was the prickly feeling on the back of her neck that told her so. Tenten was becoming paranoid, so much so that she basically locked herself in her room unless she was at school.

Tenten grabbed her textbook from her locker, still rummaging through thoughts of Neji and her stalker. She was more stressed than she had ever been in her life.

Tenten begun to walk toward her class and her thoughts were broken when she crashed into a red headed student, knocking his possessions onto the ground. "Watch it." The red headed boy hissed as he kneeled down to pick them up. Tenten stared at him in shock. Gaara was his name, Tenten remember as she dropped down beside him to help him. He was a quiet one with blood red hair and pale green eyes surrounded by insomniac circles.

"I-I'm sorry I just-" Tenten began to stutter out an apology when she saw Neji at the end of the hall. She froze and quickly averted her eyes and using Gaara as a shield, placing both hands on his shoulders. Yes, hiding was juvenile but Tenten was petrified of the guy. Besides, he didn't see her, yet. Not that it mattered, he was avoiding her.

"What are you doing?" Gaara snarled, pulling out of Tenten's range.

"Nothing." Tenten shook him off upon seeing the Hyuga enter his designated classroom. "Look, sorry about knocking you down. I got to go." Tenten quickly stood up mortified by the whole situation. Really? She now had to hid like a child from Neji…was she really that scared of him? Of course she was but it just hit her now how much he did. Tenten shook those thoughts away. She really should stop stressing over him and she really should put her focus on how to deal with her invisible stalker. Was there even a stalker? Or was she just becoming that paranoid?

Gaara stood up quickly as grabbed Tenten's arm. "Who are you hiding from?"

Tenten gave a false cheery smile. "I'm not hiding from anyone." She twisted her arm out of his grasp. "Sorry, I have to get to class."

With that, Tenten scurried off to class leaving Gaara watching her disappear with narrowed eyes. Gaara had been watching Tenten for some time now, ever since she began to hang out with Hyuga Neji and seeing her in such a panic worried him. He hoped history wasn't repeating itself. He wasn't going to let another innocent girl die if he was at all right about his suspicions.

* * *

Sakura eyed Neji cautiously in Ibiki's class. After the meeting with that stranger, Kabuto, she had been watching Neji closely. He didn't seem to act differently and he never seemed to be speaking to any particular girl; hell he wasn't speaking to anyone, hardly even his usual bunch. But there were many times when Neji would just disappear without a trace. Sakura couldn't keep tabs on him all the time, especially since she had to keep an eye on Naruto, Shikamaru, and Sasuke as well, and curiosity was gnawing at her. Curiosity and anger.

Sakura never trusted Neji, due to his temper and disregard for others. She couldn't help but feel suspicious. She had yet to talk to him about what the stranger had said but she planned on it as soon as they were alone. She waited her two months, if Itachi wasn't going to do anything, she would.

Sure, Neji had a temper and would probably start his usual snide remarks but she would need to know if he was seeing a girl. Itachi would want to know. Sakura wasn't going to allow another girl to end up in her fucked up situation or worse.

* * *

"Hinata!" Naruto called to Hinata who was sitting under their tree. Naruto slid beside her and kissed her. She blushed a little but she had gotten a lot more comfortable around him, especially when it came to physical contact. "How were your classes?"

"Oh, they w-were fine. How w-were yours?" Hinata asked shyly. Naruto couldn't help but smile at her. She was cute when she was shy.

"They were good." Naruto grinned. She nodded her head and resumed to eating her sandwich.

Naruto watched her and internally sighed. Ever since they had gotten together, Naruto had been extra careful around her. He wanted to make sure he would never have a chance to hurt her but on more than one occasion, the need had come and he left her without warning. He knew she was upset by this but he preferred it over causing her pain from telling her the truth but now he was beginning to think the lies hurt her more.

Naruto wanted to tell Hinata the truth, that way she would understand and be able to take precautions around it but they had only been officially together for a few months and it was way too soon for any of that. Their relationship was something precious; Naruto didn't want to ruin that so soon.

Even though he had only started talking to Hinata about three months ago, he felt closer to the girl then he did with most people. Every chance he got, he was with Hinata. She understood him and he understood her. They were able to talk and be together on a level past friendship.

"Hinata?" Naruto broke the comfortable silence around them.

"Yes, N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked worried.

Naruto gulped. He had to tell her now. He did want to end up like Sasuke or Shikamaru who lost their loved ones. "I…" He looked at Hinata and sighed. "You look really beautiful."

Hinata blushed a brilliant pink. "T-Thank y-you, N-Naruto-kun."

Naruto smiled but as soon as she turned away, he looked down at the grass with a frown. Not here. I can't tell her here. He knew it was way too soon in their relationship but he needed to tell her before it went any further so she could fully know what she was getting into. Naruto wasn't going to be like Sasuke and hide the truth forever.

* * *

Tenten sighed as she walked the school. She had stayed late for her track practice and was one of the only students left on campus. She was just ready to get home where, thankfully, her parents were. She hated being alone anymore in fear that stranger would be outside her window again. There she was, thinking about it again.

Tenten walked away from the school on edge. Even though she had barely seen Neji in the past week, she was still expecting to see him waiting for her. It saddened her to know he wasn't there. Plus, she felt safer in his company. Now that she was walking home alone again, the paranoid feeling was becoming worse and worse.

After ten minutes of walking home and being lost in thought about Neji and the mysterious stalker, an arm shot out from behind her and grabbed her. The arm pulled her back; down one of the cross streets and Tenten did the first thing that came to her mind. Defend.

She wrenched herself from the arm and immediately took a defensive position. Arms up in a blocking position, legs slightly bent at the knees, head ducked behind protecting arms. When no assault came about, she looked at her assailant. To her surprise, it wasn't anyone threatening but the red head from earlier, Gaara, and, his brunette brother, Kankuro. Both of them were a healthy distance away.

Embarrassed, she quickly dropped her arms to her side and looked down. Tenten let out a loose breath and began to slowly shake. She really was paranoid or just plain frightened, or both. Whatever the case was, relief flooded her to the point of breaking. How much longer was she going to have to live in fear? At least before, Neji and her friends were with her most of the time and she didn't have to worry about being alone. But with Neji and her not talking, Naruto taking up all of Hinata's time, and Ino doing god knows what, Tenten was being hit with the heavy weight of being alone.

Gaara narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the shaking girl. It was obvious she was terrified but Gaara needed to know what. He didn't want this girl to end up with the same fate as his sister.

Kankuro, on the other hand, felt a pang of guilt. He hadn't meant to scare her. His eyes softened as he slowly approached the girl, giving him an awful reminder of how his sister was in her last days.

"Hey, are you okay?" Kankuro asked. He was tempted to put his hand on her shoulder but he didn't want to scare her more then she already was.

Tenten snapped her head up wide eyed. She nodded her head and smile shakily. "I'm fine. You just scared me."

Kankuro nodded his head but could tell she was lying. It was more than that. Gaara walked over beside his brother. "Who were you expecting?"

Tenten, slowly regaining her sense of self, swallowed at his question. "N-No one. Like I said, you guys just freaked me out."

Kankuro and Gaara shared a look.

"Look, if someone is harassing you, you should tell someone." Kankuro murmured warningly. "You can tell us."

Gaara rolled his eyes. He was never good at these roundabout caring talks and pushed through to what his real question were. "Is it Nara?"

Tenten stared at him, fear completely gone now and confusion taking its place. "You mean Nara Shikamaru?"

Kankuro gave his brother a warning look but Gaara ignored him. "Is it?"

"No. I told you no one is-"

"Uzumaki?"

Tenten flinched at the boy's antagonistic tone. "No, look I need to-"

"Uchiha? Hyuga?" Gaara listed the names off in quick succession.

Tenten involuntarily winced at Neji's surname. She shook her head in quick denial. "I have to go." Tenten spun around quickly, leaving the two boys behind. Their conversation only put her more on edge as she raced home.

Tenten wasn't sure what they were insinuating but she didn't like it. Did they think she was scared of those four boys? Why? The more Tenten thought about it, the more odd it was. Why would they think something like that? Sure, Tenten was paranoid but not about those four boys harming her or her friends. That was just absurd. But the idea wouldn't leave her head.

Gaara stood there, glaring at the spot Tenten had left. Kankuro sighed and gave his brother a light punch.

"If she wasn't scared of us before, she is now." Kankuro hissed. "Do you have any sympathy? She could be going through a lot. It might have nothing to do with the, _you know_…"

Gaara shook his head. "No, your way was going too slow. Besides," Gaara paused and looked his brother dead in the eyes. "Did you see how she reacted to the names?"

"Confused, Gaara. She was confused as to why you were hounding her." Kankuro rolled his eyes.

"Except for one." Gaara muttered. "Hyuga."

* * *

Sakura walked downtown. She had nothing to do for once and she had lost sight of Hyuga _again_. With a sigh, she turned the corner and her eyes landed on, much to her surprise and glee, Neji who walked out of some store further down the street. Sakura noted that he was alone and knew this was the chance to confront him. She had been waiting months for this opportunity. She was going to get some fucking answers. She deserved that much from her devotion to Itachi.

Sakura walked up to him and without warning grabbed his arm and dragged him into the nearby alley. Neji let her drag him into the alley. He knew from experience, it was better to let her have her way then fight her sometimes. Plus, he loved to frazzle the pinkette. It was a hobby. One that he was quite good at too.

"So now that you got me here, what do you plan to do with me?" Neji quipped in a bored tone.

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "Have you been seeing any girl, Neji?"

Neji stood there in silence. Was she talking about Tenten? Was Sakura spying on him? He raised his eyebrow. It made sense; Sakura was in everyone's business, curtsy of Itachi. "Why does it matter?"

Sakura hissed. "Some man came up to me and spelled it out for me."

"Who?" Neji growled. Who the hell was watching him now? _First Sasuke, then Sakura, now this asshole. Itachi better stop sending people to watch him or he was as good as dead._

"I don't know. I've never seen him before. That's beside the point though. You are dragging someone into our shit and we already have to deal with Naruto, we don't need you to fuck it up as well." Sakura sneered.

"Sorry, I forgot that only Uchiha is allowed to fuck it up and the rest of us have to contain ourselves." Neji jeered.

"This isn't about Uchiha." Sakura seethed. She hated Neji bring that fucker up but he knew how to hit her and with what. "This is about the fact that you are dragging an innocent life into this. Who the hell is she?" Sakura demanded putting her hands on her hips.

"What's it matter to you? Jealous?" Neji taunted. He knew why she wanted to know, she didn't trust him. Neji was getting sick of people thinking he couldn't control himself.

"I want a name." Sakura's eyes flashed.

"So do I. Who the fuck is watching me now?" Neji barked.

"I told you, it isn't important." Sakura waved it off. "What is important is this girl. Who is she?" Sakura hissed. Neji always could get on her nerves.

"I don't have to tell you anything." Neji hissed back as he started to walk off. He would find answers himself, plus he had to get away. He felt himself losing control again.

Sakura grabbed his arm again and pushed him against the wall. "Tell me, _now_."

"No." Neji sneered. "I think fair is fair. I didn't know about you till the very end, you don't get to know about her till the very end." Neji inwardly winced at his choice of words because they didn't relay his real intentions but he knew it hurt Sakura and that's all that seemed to matter at this point. He wasn't really sure who was speaking any more, him or the monster but both were pissed.

"Don't drag the past into this Neji. Why on earth would you want some girl to have the same fate as me?"

"Maybe I like torturing you and your old friends." Neji whispered into Sakura ear. Again, not really his intentions but he really didn't give a fuck. Seeing Sakura this pissed off was worth all the shit he was going to get later.

At this Sakura tackled Neji to the ground and put her hand around his neck menacingly. "Who is it?"

Neji gave his classic smirk, finally letting the monster inside come out to play. "Tenten."

He didn't even have time to dodge the fist that came crashing into his face.

* * *

Naruto crept outside Hinata's house. He had to tell her. He had chickened out earlier but he had to do it. It had to be now. He quickly scaled the building and sat on her window silt. He had met Hinata's father once and it didn't go well so Naruto just became accustomed to using the window rather than the door. Less conflict that way.

He looked into her window to see her sitting at her desk; her head bent over some papers, her eyebrows scrunched together in concentration. She was in her pajamas, hair pulled into a bun of some sorts on her head, and his necklace he had given her, glistening on her neck.

He almost didn't want to disturb her and leave but he shook that thought out. He had to do this. He had to do it _now_ or he was going to end up like Sasuke; alone and miserable.

He knocked lightly on her window and held his breath. Her head snapped and cast a worried look toward the window. Upon seeing Naruto, relief flooded her features and she lightly padded to the window, opening it.

"N-Naruto-kun, what are you doing here?" Hinata asked with her head tilted cutely to the side.

"We need to talk." Naruto said serious.

Hinata felt her heart stop. _What did he want to talk about? No, he wanted to break up. Oh no, oh no. _"O-Okay." Hinata squeaked nervously as she moved away from the window glancing anxiously at her boyfriend.

Naruto gracefully climbed in and the two stood there awkwardly, neither sure where to go with it. Naruto sighed. "We should sit down." Wordlessly Hinata gestured to the bed and they both sat down. "Alright, I guess I got to do this now." Naruto laughed lightly trying to relieve some of the tension. It didn't work. Hinata gulped. "Okay, I just want you to know that what I'm about to tell you doesn't change anything about how I feel about you."

"N-Naruto-kun..."

"This is hard for me to say so please bear with me." Naruto gave her a nervous smile. "Okay, I'm just going to say it." Naruto took in a big sigh. "I'm not human." He stated lamely.

Hinata let out the breath she was holding and giggled. Naruto was just messing with her. She was riled up just for that. He always could make her laugh.

"Naruto-kun you had-"

"Hinata, I'm serious." Naruto cut her off. She only stared at him. She never heard Naruto use a tone like that before and honestly, it scared her.

"W-What do you mean?"

With another sigh, Naruto looked toward his knees. "I mean that...I'm a vampire."

The words hung in the air and Hinata could only stare at him in disbelief. _What the hell?_ Hinata was an avid reader and lamely admits to reading all those vampire themed novels and Naruto did not fit any of those descriptions. Even if they were real, which they aren't, Hinata could never picture her dorky boyfriend like that. Plus, vampires aren't real! They just lived in the fickle fantasies of young girls, not real life.

"N-Naruto-kun, you're n-not making a-any s-sense."

Naruto turned to look at her. "I'm telling the truth." He said almost depressed.

"I-I just...I c-can't b-believe that." Hinata stared at the boy in skepticism. Where the hell was he pulling this from and why?

"Why?" Naruto asked with a small frown.

"B-Because! I-It is r-ridiculous." Hinata tightened her fists around the blankets.

"Do you want proof?" Naruto asked in a whisper.

Hinata could only stare at him. He could provide _proof?_

Naruto took her silence as a yes. He closed his eyes and focused on her sweet scent. It was enough to trigger his need instantly but he was able to control the urge to attack the girl immediately.

Hinata watched as he opened his eyes to see that they had grown darker, almost black. They looked…hungry. The air around Naruto shifted and he gave her a small unsure grin to reveal two sharp, deadly looking fangs.

Hinata gasped and backed away. The reaction was instantaneous. Naruto's fangs withdrew and his eye brightened again but Hinata stayed far away. This couldn't be real.

Fear had a vice grip over her heart. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. She was frozen in fear watching her boyfriend turn into a childhood monster. _This isn't real. It can't be happening._

"O-Out." Hinata managed to choke out, tears staring to blur her vision. It must just be some nasty joke.

The words hit Naruto like bullets. He physically recoiled at her words and looked away ashamed. "Okay." Naruto said without letting the depression seep into his tone. "I'll leave now."

Hinata watched from her spot as he walked to the window and climbed through. He then turned around and Hinata winced in fear. "Hinata." She stayed silent. She just wanted him to leave so she could think clearly. "I want you to remember that I still...I still love you okay?" Hinata's heart stopped. She had been waiting for him to utter those words ever since she first laid eyes on him in freshmen year but now? Those words seemed meaningless and she didn't want to hear them. They would cloud her thoughts.

Naruto let out a shallow breath and closed the window after him as he left with one last look at the girl he just confessed everything he had too.

* * *

Ino tapped her foot impatiently. She hated buying her diet drinks. She was always worried that someone would see her purchasing them. While Ino held the image of self-confidence, there was one area of her life that didn't fall into that category. She had always been self-conscious about how she had to maintain her beauty and figure and didn't want anyone to know. It was her secret.

The line was long and she slowly crept along with it. She was tired of waiting.

"You shouldn't drink those." A voice said behind her dully.

She turned around to see Nara Shikamaru, a boy from her grade. "What's it to you?" She hissed. Her eyes narrowed at him. What did he know?

"Nothing, just advice, take it or leave it." Shikamaru shrugged. He was starting to regret this conversation and was cursing to himself for initiating it. His friends' stupidity was beginning to rub off on him.

"What are you even here for?" Ino snapped putting a hand on her hip. "You're not even buying anything."

"Yes, I am." Shikamaru sighed.

Ino looked around him. He wasn't carrying a basket and he didn't have anything in his hands. "You don't have anything with you." She pointed out with narrowed eyes.

"That's because, _Princess_," Shikamaru sneered. He was definitely tired of talking to her. "What I'm buying is behind the counter."

"But you aren't old enough." Ino's perfect blonde eyebrow knit together. "Right?"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Even if I wasn't, they don't know that." Ino's eyes widened but she didn't say anything. She had done her fair share of illegal activities. "Your turn." Shikamaru pointed.

Ino nodded her head and checked out. When finished she waited outside the store. For some reason, she just had to finish her conversation with the infuriating boy. It would bug her. Plus she needed to know what on earth he was purchasing. For whatever reason, it was not clicking in her head.

Shikamaru walked out of the store, his newly purchased cigarettes in hand, and narrowed his eyes at the blonde girl. _What the hell does she want?_ "What?" He asked as she stood in front of him. He pulled out a cigarette, shoved the box in his pocket and exchanged it for a lighter.

"You shouldn't smoke those." Ino mimicked his words for before, her hands resting on her hips.

Shikamaru's lip twitched up. "What's it to you?" With that Shikamaru walked off and started his search for Neji who had come with him. Ino stared as the pineapple headed boy walked away, smoke drifting into the air in a small cloud.

* * *

_Sakura out right laughed at the man before her. Sometimes he acted like a little kid, like right now. The two of them were sitting in the park, where they had first met. Sakura had her feet in the water of the lake and was trying to get him to do the same. He was being stubborn as usual._

_"No." He deadpanned. "This is stupid."_

_"Come on! Don't be like that." Sakura teased. _

_"I said no." He hissed. He deemed this activity stupid and was thinking of better ways to spent time with his girlfriend. He smirked at the thought._

_Sakura rolled her eyes. "You aren't going to melt."_

_"It's still a no." _

_"Come on, someone needs to push you out of your comfort zone." She huffed. He gave her a glare. At this she stood up and walked to where he was. She grabbed his arms and pulled at him, trying to get him to walk into the water. She used her entire weight and he still didn't budge. _

_He smirked and twisted his arm so she plummeted into the water, landing on her rear. At this she glared daggers at him while he chuckled. She held her hand expectantly. _

_With a roll of his eyes, he walked toward the water, right to the edge to avoid the wetness. He held out his hand for her, which she grabbed and he pulled her up. _

_After helping her up, he just smirked at her wet, skin-clinging, clothes. She raised her eyebrows then an evil smirk crossed her face. He watched her, waiting to see what she had planned as she circled him._

_Slowly she walked toward him and then tackled him into a hug. He managed to catch her and keep standing. Her plan failed. She didn't have enough weight to push him into the lake._

_"You lose." He jeered with a smirk._

_"No, you lose." She laughed. He gave her a questioning look but then he felt it, not only was his clothes damp from her wet hug but she managed to get him to step back into the lake. _

_He looked down at the giggling girl and hissed in her ear. "You better run, Sakura, because you are dead." Without the need for another warning, she scampered off through the trees; he followed closely fully intending to punish her. He smirked at the thought again._

_Her shrieks could be heard through the forest along with her joyous laughter as both their shoes laid side by side in front of the lake._

* * *

**Hello! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. A lot of things are about to happen! Anyways, as always, thank you for everyone who has taken the time to read and an even bigger thank you to all those who have review! **

**Thanks again, and please review. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Warning: This is a Vampire/High School AU. There is some OOCness.**

**For Kayla, I love you, girly. (Also in honor of the new Naruto Chapter.)**

* * *

Tenten made it home without any more confrontations, especially from a little red head kid or any other antagonistic soul. Tenten bid her mother a hello and quickly went to her room. She immediately went to her bed and opened her laptop. It was time to do some digging. Her curiosity meters were spiking way too high.

Why Gaara and Kankuro thought Neji and his friends were evil was beyond her, but she hoped that with a little digging, things might make more sense. It was also the first time in months that Tenten didn't even bother thinking about her invisible stalker and that was welcomed.

She logged onto her social media account and quickly began scanning the list of friends on her computer. She clicked on Ino's. Ino was friends with everyone in the school with the intentions of reaching a thousand friends. She was at two thousand.

Tenten went to Ino's friend's list and quickly made a search.

_Gaara_.

No results came up. He probably didn't have an account. He didn't seem like the one to have one to begin with. Tenten tried again.

_Kankuro_.

She reached his profile and verified it was his with the photo of him. Tenten wasn't sure what she was doing exactly as she began to snoop around his profile but she was going to find something. They hounded her about that group of boys for a reason and Tenten could only hope that his profile would lead to some answers or clues.

She went onto his _about_ tap and began to scan it. She found a lot of information but none of it seemed valid. It's great that his favorite color is 'purple' and his political stance was 'fuck the system' but that didn't really give her any help.

She was about to give up her wild goose chance when she looked at the _family_ column. There was only one name.

_Temari._

Tenten knew the name sounded familiar and she soon gasped as she clicked on the link to her profile. She remembered seeing that particular picture two or three years ago in the local papers. _High School Girl Found Dead in Mason Square._

* * *

_Neji gave his classic smirk, finally letting the monster inside come out to play. "Tenten." _

_ He didn't even have time to dodge the fist that came crashing into his face._

Neji hissed as his nose made a nasty crack and it gushed blood. "You little fucking, bitch." The monster in Neji growled. Neji's white eyes dilated and the veins around his temples budged. He had lost control and now could not stop himself from attacking Sakura.

Neji quickly flipped the two over. "What the hell do you want with, Tenten?" Sakura hissed from beneath him as she back crashed against the rough pavement.

"None of your concern." The monster sneered as he wrapped his hands around her slender neck. He just wanted people to stay out of his goddamn business.

Sakura grabbed his hands and dug her names into his flesh as she choked. Neji pulled his hands anyway as Sakura broke skin with a low hiss. Sakura pushed him off her and took a crouched stance. "You stay away from her. It's bad news for everyone." Sakura seethed a warning. Her green eyes were glowing unnervingly.

"No." Neji snarled as he tackled Sakura onto the pavement. They tumbled for a while, Neji blinded with the cold intent to kill the pinkette and Sakura dead set and knocking his head off with her powerful fists. "Why should it matter to you?" He hissed. "You left all of them."

"Fuck you." Sakura barked as she drilled her fists into his stomach, while earning another kick to the side, making her slam into the wall beside them. Neji struggled to stand up while Sakura laid defeated on the ground, unable to get up at all.

The monster in Neji smirked sadistically. While maybe she didn't deserve Neji's wrath, it felt good to get all his rage out.

Neji was snapped out of his thoughts as a noise came from the alley way opening. "What the fuck?" A voice called. Neji turned to see Shikamaru and quickly returned his eyes back to their normal bored look, veins disappearing. "What are you two doing?" Shikamaru asked, extinguishing his cigarette on the pavement. Shikamaru's eyes scanned Neji's bloody nose and rumbled clothes. His eyes then trained to a face down Sakura and his eyes widened.

Neji, finally standing, spat, "Nothing, Shikamaru, let's go."

Shikamaru however ignored him and went to a beaten Sakura. "You okay?"

Sakura, with Shikamaru's help, sat up. She sent a glare at Neji. "I'm fine. Do you know what he is doing?" Shikamaru looked away ashamed. She didn't have to say it; he knew exactly what she was talking about. "Well, do you?" Sakura demanded for an answer. Shikamaru nodded his head slowly and Sakura's eyes narrowed. "How could _you_ let him do this? Huh? How can you let him near anyone, especially an innocent girl all by himself? I thought, you had the most sense out of them all but I was wrong. I thought you _care_ what happened, or did Temari's death mean nothing to you?" Sakura ranted pissed.

Shikamaru's head snapped up as he stared at Sakura. "Don't drag Temari into this."

"What does it matter? You already disgraced her death. Do you think she would have wanted you to stand by while Neji, your _friend_, plays with fire? You know how he is. He has no fucking control."

"Shut up!" Shikamaru yelled, his eyes drilling holes into Sakura's but she was beyond caring. "Don't act higher than me."

"I don't need to act, Shikamaru. Temari was my friend; I _know_ what she would have said." Sakura hissed. Sakura stood to up and regarded Shikamaru and Neji with dull eyes. "Both of you should be ashamed of yourselves."

As Sakura started to walk off, Neji snarled. "Going to tell Itachi on us?"

Sakura whipped around and answered him dully. "Yes. I'm not going to sit back while you ruin a person's life, _again_." Sakura took a step forward. "In case you are oblivious, there are people out there who wouldn't mind us gone. Now is not the time to be acting out on our selfish whims."

Shikamaru stood up and looked at Sakura. "Let's go tell Itachi."

"Shikamaru. You promised." Neji hissed. The last thing Neji wanted was Itachi to also tell him he couldn't control himself.

"I am done protecting your ass." Shikamaru snapped. "Naruto at least honestly has some control and knows how to ask for fucking help when he can't instead of trying to deal with it alone. So shut the fuck up. I'm done protecting and making up excuses for the fucked up things you do." Shikamaru's shoulders started to shake. He was angry, so angry, at Neji and years of keeping it in check because Neji 'couldn't control himself' was starting to wear-thin on him.

Neji stared at Shikamaru. The lazy genius never spoke out against any of them like that. Neji didn't say a word though. It was true. He was putting Tenten in danger and now he wasn't sure he could protect her now. His control was slipping and the more people doubted him, the more he began to doubt his own control.

Neji went silent and followed Shikamaru diligently. Sakura walked behind them both. Their wounds were already starting to heal but both looked more beaten then before.

"We will take me car, any problems?" Shikamaru growled. Neither said a word.

* * *

_Naruto let out a shallow breath and closed the window after him as he left with one last look at the girl he just confessed everything he had too._

Hinata waited until he was completely out of sight to let the tears, which clouded her vision, fall. She pulled the blankets up to her chest and wiped the endless number of tears.

_What was Naruto talking about? He surely must be insane. Vampire? Surely he was kidding; but those fangs and those hungry dark eyes._ Hinata shivered. She didn't know what to think except for the fact that Naruto was gone and have told her he loved her…

A knock on her door, interpreted Hinata's thoughts. "C-Come in."

The door slowly creaked open to reveal her younger sister standing there with worried eyes. Hanabi's eyes widened upon seeing her distressed older sister. She ran up to the bed and climbed in with Hinata. "What's wrong?" Hanabi asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Nothing, I'm just tired."

"We both know you are lying." Hanabi said softly.

"I know." Hinata agreed. Hanabi grabbed her sister and wrapped her arms around her.

"Do I need to have a word with the blonde idiot?" Hanabi asked referring to Naruto.

"N-No." Hinata shook her head quickly. Anything but that.

"Hinata, did he do this to you?" Hinata refused to answer. Hanabi sighed. "You don't have to tell me what happened, but just know that I am here for you. So are Ino and Tenten."

"Thank you, actually, I think I'll call Ino or Tenten now." Hinata nodded her head.

"I'll go get your phone." Hanabi stated as she slid off the bed and grabbed Hinata's phone from its charger. "If you need anything else," Hanabi tossed to phone, "Just let me know, 'kay?" Hinata nodded her head and watched her little sister leave the room before dialing a number.

* * *

Tenten and Temari were never friends. Tenten didn't even know she existed until she saw the paper those couple of years ago. Tenten sat on her bed, knees folded up to her chest, her arms wrapping around them. She was going to continue snooping but couldn't after reading what friends or classmates of Temari's wrote on the deceased girl's profile. It was too much for Tenten.

Tenten thought back to the article. She remembered reading it and feeling horrified. The article didn't say much on how she died or what happened but to think someone her age had been murdered…it terrified her.

Everyone knew it was a murder but no one ever outright said so. It was for respect to the family of the deceased. They knew what happened, they didn't need everyone talking about it, but now, years later, Tenten couldn't help but wonder who.

Tenten's mind slowly drifted to the brothers she had encountered earlier. Maybe Tenten's mind was a little paranoid and she was connecting dots that had nothing to do with each other but did the four boys, Neji, Shikamaru, Sasuke, and Naruto, have something to do with Temari's death?

Tenten's paranoid mind instantly went to all those times she was alone with Neji. If he had something to do with that girl's death…what was stopping him from doing that to her?

Tenten shook her head rapidly. She didn't even know if Temari knew anything about those four boys. She didn't know if they ever met. Plus, Tenten couldn't imagine any of those boys being able to kill someone. Tenten also realized that she would never know unless she talked to three people, all in which she wasn't too keen on talking to. Gaara and Kankuro…but also Neji.

* * *

The car was deadly silent. No one uttered a word. Shikamaru was contemplating his decisions. Neji was cursing himself for getting caught and sent angry glares at Sakura all while trying to calm the deadly monster churning inside of him. Sakura looked out with window, with the same emotionless mask as ever.

Shikamaru broke the silence. "You're right." Neji and Sakura looked up at Shikamaru. "Temari would hate me if she were here."

Sakura's stomach clenched. She really shouldn't have dug up Temari. It was a cold, heartless move, yet that was who Sakura had become in the past couple of years. "I'm sorry for using her as ammo." Sakura muttered faintly.

Neji watched in silence. He felt bad. He had beaten up Sakura, forced Shikamaru to go back on his morals, and was putting Tenten in danger. The only thing was he couldn't stop, the monster wouldn't let him. They both wanted and needed Tenten.

* * *

Naruto ran as fast as he could. She didn't accept him, he didn't expect her to, but it still hurt; it hurt a lot more than he was actually expecting. She was the only one who had accepted him no matter what, but he pushed her too far. He supposed everyone had their limits, even Hinata.

He should have expected it. Not everyone could handle something like that! Naruto remembered when he first realized what he was. He tried to kill himself. Neji went fucking crazy and still is. And Sakura…that was probably one of the worst he had seen. She just broke. At least with Neji there is still part of him there. There is no 'old' Sakura in her. She is just gone.

It felt as if someone was gripping his heart and squeezing it until it was utterly crushed. The pain was unbearable. Tears were streaming down his face, and he could care less how pathetic he looked. He lost everything. He lost her, he knew it. She was never going to want to see him ever again.

Naruto finally stopped his long run and leaned against the lamp post. He was near the school, which was about a twenty minute walk from Hinata's house. From his spot, across the street from the school, he could see the dim outline of the tree. _Their tree._

Naruto sat on the ground and let out a shaky sob. He fucked up. He should have never told her. But she would have found out. He was confused. He was miserable from telling her. Sasuke was miserable from keeping it a secret. Shikamaru was miserable because his understood. Either way it went, it seemed like it would only cause pain. Naruto hated it.

Naruto pulled out his phone and with shaky fingers dialed Sasuke's number. Sasuke would understand. Sasuke had to understand._ Please._

* * *

Tenten sat at a park bench near the lake checking the time on her phone anxiously. After coming to the conclusion about how she was going to find answers, she picked the lesser of two…really three evils and went back to Kankuro's profile and called him using the number on his profile. She requested to meet him at the park, in a public setting, to talk.

Tenten was nervous but she felt better knowing that Kankuro would be coming and not Gaara or, worse, Neji. That brought Tenten a sense of bittersweet relief. She didn't want to be anywhere near Neji, but her curiosity was eating away at her and if she wanted any real answers, Neji was probably her next best source. He could answer many of her questions, ones concerning Temari and other topics.

She felt a figure sit beside her and she looked over to see Kankuro sitting there. She looked passed him and could see his brother standing a ways off watching them. Kankuro noticed this and smirk.

"He wanted to come along to talk to you but I told him to keep his distance. Didn't want you freaking out again. He is kind of…"

"Abrasive?" Tenten offered and Kankuro grinned.

"Exactly."

Silence fell amongst the two. Both knew what they wanted to talk about but it was difficult to bring it up natural.

Kankuro coughed awkwardly and sighed. "So, you wanted to meet?" He offered, trying to get the ball rolling.

"Yes, I," Tenten paused thinking her sentence through, "I did some research." She decided to be honest.

"About?" Kankuro asked confused on the direction this conversation was taking.

"You." Tenten sighed. She bit her lip nervous on the next part but Kankuro seemed to know where it was going.

"And you found Temari." He ventured a pretty accurate guess.

"Yeah." Tenten fiddled with her shirt. "Did your brother's questions from earlier have anything to do with that?"

Kankuro sighed, his eyes looking across the lake in deep thought. He didn't speak for a while and Tenten gave him time. It was probably a really hard issue to discuss, even if it did have nothing to do with those questions that Tenten was trying to connect.

"We don't know what happened that night." Kankuro finally said. "I mean, we read the report. We know how she died, but none of the other details. We don't know who did it or why anyone would want to…" Kankuro shook his head, regaining his thoughts. "We have suspicions though. Well, more Gaara does."

"What are they?" Tenten asked carefully. She was treading deadly waters and didn't want to upset him.

Kankuro gave her a bitter smile. "I think you already know who."

"Nara, Uzumaki, Uchiha, and Hyuga?" Tenten choked out the surnames.

Kankuro nodded his head slowly. His eyes harden as he started into Tenten's. "They are dangerous guys. If you are involved in them in anyway, I suggest you get away from them as quickly as you can."

"Why?" Tenten blurted out. From what she observed Naruto was an idiot, Uchiha was dull, and Nara was lazy. Tenten had always pegged Hyuga as boring but he turned about to be different, but still not a killer.

"I've heard some things and am able to connect a few dots." Kankuro shrugged. "People change when they have run ins with them. Like your pink friend."

Tenten's eyes widened. "Sakura?"

"Yup." Kankuro sighed. "She changed after being associated with them."

This was the first Tenten ever heard about Sakura being associated with them. "What do you mean 'associated'?"

"I don't really know the specifics or anything but I had seen her talking with them before she disappeared. I was dating your other friend Ino at the time she disappeared and heard all about Sakura. When she came back, she was apparently a whole different person."

"Do you know how close they were?" Tenten asked quickly. "I mean Sakura and them."

"Nah. Like I said, I didn't know the specifics, they didn't really document their friendship or anything but I had seen them around town a couple times. Here most of the time." Kankuro gestured to the lake. "That's about it though."

Tenten nodded her head absorbing the information. It was a lot to take in. Silence fell between them again until Kankuro broke it.

"Who are you scared of, Tenten?" Kankuro muttered.

Tenten stared at him. She wasn't sure how to answer that. She was scared of Neji but in a completely different way than they were imply. She just had a crush on him; she didn't think he could do any real harm. What she was really scared of had nothing to do with this little interaction.

Kankuro shook his head and stood up. "You don't have to tell me, but if you are involved with any of them or know someone involved with them: Get away while you still can."

Tenten stood up with Kankuro. "Thanks for the advice." Tenten muttered awkwardly. Kankuro smiled kindly and bid his goodbye. Just when he was about to turn away, Tenten grabbed his arm. "Wait!" Kankuro turned, looking at her, prompting her to speak. "If you don't mind me asking, and you _don't_ have to, how did your sister die?"

Kankuro stared at Tenten for a long time before speaking. "She was attacked. Broken bones, bruises, scratches. She was mauled. She died from blood loss in the end though." Kankuro directed to his neck. "A long cut across here." He traced with his finger. "There was hardly any left when they found her."

Tenten's stomach tightened; she listened to Kankuro tell her the report's findings. She wished she didn't ask but she needed to know, desperately.

"I'm so sorry." Tenten whispered as he finished. It was truly gruesome.

Kankuro shook his head. "Just stay safe and away from them." Kankuro warned as he walked off by his brother. Gaara stared at her for a moment before turning with his brother and walked away.

Tenten stood frozen in her spot, unsure what to do before deciding on getting home. It was getting dark. Her mind ran through what Kankuro had told her and Tenten was scared for her life. She needed to someone to tell this to. Not Hinata, she was in danger if Kankuro was correct on Naruto. Tenten bit her lip. She needed to speak with Ino.

* * *

Sasuke rested his head on his pillow in his empty room. _Where the hell were Naruto, Shikamaru, and Neji?_

Sasuke's phone started to buzz and he looked at the caller ID. _Naruto. _Finally.

"Where are you?" Sasuke answered the phone.

_"I-I'm by the school."_ Naruto said, his voice quivering weakly from the other end.

"You sound weird." Sasuke hissed.

_"I-I told Hinata." _

Sasuke looked at the phone in disbelief. "You what?"

_"I told Hinata! A-And now she hates me."_ Naruto gasped for air like he was choking.

Sasuke gripped his hair tightly in frustration. "Why did you tell her?" He had to keep his cool but Naruto really just put everyone in a shitty situation. Sasuke couldn't get to that now though, not with the idiot balling on the other end.

_"I didn't want to end up like you! I didn't want to lie to her and have her find out some unfortunate way!"_ Naruto sobbed.

Sasuke sighed as he dragged his hand from his hair, down his face. "What are you going to do now?"

* * *

Hinata drummed her fingers on the outside of the phone as she waited for Ino to pick up. Normally, Tenten was more understanding but Ino was the relationship expert. Besides, Tenten didn't pick up.

_"Hinata?" _Ino answered the phone after a couple of painfully long rings.

"I-Ino." Hinata sniffed.

_"What's wrong?"_ Ino cried, picking up Hinata's tone in an instant.

"N-Naruto, s-said s-something. I-I didn't b-believe h-him and now h-he is g-gone." Hinata sobbed. She couldn't tell Ino exactly what Naruto had said. She knew that it had to remain a secret despite if it was true or not.

_"Something bad?"_ Ino asked.

"I-I think s-so." Hinata sighed. "I t-told h-him to get o-out."

_"You kicked him out?"_ Ino asked astonished.

"Yes, b-but he s-said t-that he l-loved me." Hinata squeaked trying to get the whole story out as much as her whimpering self could.

_"He did!"_ Ino exclaimed. _"Do you, you know, reciprocate?"_

Hinata knew she did. She always had loved him. "Yes."

_"After he told you that __**thing**__ do you still feel the same?"_

"Y-Yes." Hinata choked out. She hated to admit it to herself, but regardless of if Naruto was telling the truth, she still loved him dearly.

_"Then talk to him."_ Ino sighed. _"It's the least you can do. Besides, you're the one destined of a functional relationship."_

"I-Ino?"

_"No trust me. Tenten, well she isn't going to get any for a long, long time. I mean, she went after Hyuga Neji of all people. I have flings. You're the only one left."_ Ino smiled, even though Hinata couldn't see it. _"Besides, Tenten might not agree but I think you two are perfect for each other."_

"T-Thank you, I-Ino."

_"Go get him."_ With that Ino hung up.

Hinata swallowed. She needed to at least talk to him about _it_.

She walked toward the window Naruto had fled through and quickly made up her mind.

* * *

Kabuto was grinding a white powder when Orochimaru walked in. Orochimaru stopped in front of Kabuto and Kabuto looked up, abandoning his current task. His master always took prime importance over his experiments. His experiments could wait; his master was not as patient.

"Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto bowed his head respectfully.

"I have a task for you." Orochimaru spoke calmly as he viewed the man in front of him.

"Yes?" Kabuto looked up to his master.

"Since Itachi-san has been most resistant with our offer, we will take it into our own hands." Orochimaru explained watching Kabuto's reactions carefully.

"How so?"

"We are going to take what we want, but first we need a team." Orochimaru smirked. "I believe there is a young boy who is currently fighting the venom in the hospital. Go _persuade_ him to our cause."

"Hai, Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto nodded his head. "What is this boy's name?"

Orochimaru gave Kabuto another deadly smirk. "Hozuki Suigetsu."

* * *

_Sakura sat bored on the couch of her boyfriend's home, staring off into blank T.V. He had left her to go take care of some 'urgent matters' and had promised to be back soon and Sakura soon learned that soon was very relative. _

_Sakura, in the meantime, was bidding her time by doing…nothing. As far as she knew, the house was empty, but she didn't really know. People came and left the house at will and Sakura never knew who was here and who wasn't. She had met quite a few but more just kept appearing and she really couldn't keep up._

_ Sakura looked around the plainly decorated room and sighed. She wished he would be back soon. She loved spending time with him. She felt so happy and at peace with him. She knew it was love._

_ "Love-struck, huh?" A feminine voice chuckled from the stairs._

_ Sakura turned to see a blonde girl with four ponytails standing there. Her dark green eyes watching Sakura amused. The blonde girl was tall and quite fit. She must be an athlete of some sort._

_ "Who are you?" Sakura asked curious. Sakura had met many of her boyfriend's friends but never her._

_ "Temari." The girl answered easily as she sat beside Sakura. "And you must be Sakura." Temari smiled as she picked up one of Sakura's long pink locks resting on her shoulder. "You can tell by the hair."_

_ Sakura stared at her, more confused by the second. "How do you know me?"_

_ Temari grinned evilly. "Your boyfriend is either always with you and always thinking about you. We all practically know who you are. You're not the only one in the relationship love-struck." Temari laughed as Sakura blushed. "It's nothing to be ashamed about, it's sweet enough." Temari shrugged indifferent to the concept. _

_ "Kind of embarrassing though." Sakura groaned. How much did this girl know about her and how much was her boyfriend telling them? She hoped it wasn't anything too…personal._

_ "If anything it's more of an embarrassment to him. It's funny seeing him all gushy." Temari smiled as she watched the pinkette's blush darken. It was true though, he wasn't one to show his emotions willingly. "Don't worry," Temari rolled her eyes. "I'm sure he is just as manly as he was before." Temari winked. _

_ At this Sakura burst out laughing. "So how do you know him?" Sakura grinned as she recovered from her laughter. She liked this Temari. She was funny and nice and Sakura generally liked people like that. She wasn't so bad to be around. She carried a nice atmosphere. Plus Sakura could use a friend. Ino, Hinata, and Tenten were still gone and it would be nice for Sakura to hang out with someone who wasn't her boyfriend._

_ "I hang around here enough." Temari shrugged._

_ "And we haven't run into each other before?" Sakura cocked her head in confusion._

_ "I'm not surprised." Temari gave her a sly look. "I'm usually occupied in one of the spare bedrooms."_

_ Sakura, getting the underlying message, blushed darker than ever before which caused Temari to laugh. Oh, she liked this girl. She was fun to tease and Temari knew this friendship was going to be a fun one._

* * *

**This was a big chapter...and the night is still not over! The next chapter will continue right where we left off. And now Temari has be sort of added into the drama! **

**Anyways thank you so much for reading this and also thank you for those amazing reviews! I really love hearing from you guys. **

**Thanks again, and please review. Until next time!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. **

**Warning: This is a Vampire/High School AU. There will be some cases of OOCness.**

**For Kayla and to all those wonderful reviewers. Thank you.**

* * *

_Sasuke sighed as he dragged his hand from his hair, down his face. "What are you going to do now?"_

Naruto sighed, thinking. What was he going to do? He knew that he needed Hinata. He needed her like he needed air. He loved her, he was dead certain about that. He wasn't about to let her go but what could he do? She clearly was terrified of him and he couldn't blame her. He cursed. "I don't know." Naruto hissed through clenched teeth.

"_You better think of something quick before she-"_ Sasuke spoke but Naruto didn't catch the rest as a soft, 'Naruto-kun' came from behind him.

Naruto whipped around to see Hinata standing ten feet away from him. She was still in her long pajama pants and tank top, her hair was bunched on the top of her head, but Naruto wasn't pay much mind to those as one detail caught his eyes; her white eyes were glassy and bloodshot from crying. Naruto wanted nothing more than to grabbed her and hold her in his arms; making the pain go away. Unfortunately, he was what was causing her pain. He quickly stood up and watched her carefully and hopeful. Sasuke, who was long forgotten, was hissing out Naruto's name audibly in the still silence between Naruto and Hinata.

"Hinata." Naruto called to her, disconnected his phone call with Sasuke. Naruto took a step forward and Hinata flinched a little, causing Naruto to stop. She was still petrified, like a small fragile deer in headlights.

Hinata eyed to boy in front of her cautiously. His hair was tangled and messy, like he had been pulling and tugging at the ends in distress. His eyes were wide and wet, evidence that he too was crying. It was his eyes that broke Hinata.

She came here with the sole purpose of getting answers. No feelings were supposed to interfere with this, it was the Hyuga way, but Hinata was not the traditional stony faced Hyuga and her emotions bled red rather than the typical white of her family. She wore her heart on her sleeve and seeing Naruto, a man she had grown to care for and _love_, shattered her heart.

Hinata, despite the fear coiled in her stomach, ran to him and threw her arms around the distraught boy. Half of her was scared to be near him, but the other half wanted to seek comfort in the boy. She was torn between running as far away as possible and clinging for dear life.

Naruto stiffened at the contact and contemplated before wrapping his arms around the small frame of the girl. Naruto closed his eyes, relishing the moment. He had no idea where they were going to go from here so he savored the moment like it was, and it quite possibly could be his last.

Hinata looked up at him, eyes filled with tears. "N-Naruto-kun, I-I'm s-sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry about," He whispered, holding on to her tightly. It wasn't her fault he was something so strange and that she didn't believe him. He could still hardly believe it was real himself. "I understand."

They clung to each other in silence, both basking in the warmth and love of the other. Sooner or later, the spell would have to be broken and neither really wanted it. But they had to talk. Hinata pushed through and shattered the still, silent, veil.

"S-so, you really a-are one?" Hinata asked, scared. Naruto slowly nodded his head, not making eye contact. "I-It's just…"

"Unbelievable?" Naruto offered with a small sad smile, meeting her unsure gaze. "I know."

* * *

Shikamaru pulled up in the drive way of the Uchiha house. The three teens got out and walked toward the door in silence. Both boys let Sakura lead the way, this was her mission now. Sakura opened the door to find herself face to face with Sasuke who was about to wrench the door open. Both quickly averted their eyes as emerald met onyx.

Sasuke was the first to give in and finally look at her. He eyed the girl in front of him. Her exotic pink hair was ruffled and tangled. Dried blood stained her lip. She clothes were dirty and torn. His eyes traced a large bruise slowly fading on her neck. Sasuke's eyes shifted to Neji to find him in a similar state. Shikamaru seemed to be fine except for the tired, worn out look in his eyes.

"You probably want to stay here for this." Shikamaru sighed next to Sakura. Sasuke silently nodded his head and moved aside so the other three could enter. "We need to talk to Itachi so…" Shikamaru paused, give Sasuke serious look.

"Let's go." Sasuke grunted as he led the way toward the basement. Naruto would have to figure out his problem on his own, besides he wasn't too keen on telling anyone yet. It would cause more trouble and there already seemed to be quite a bit as he casted another glance in Sakura and Neji's direction. Everything seemed to be just falling apart.

The four entered. Most of the men inside gave a causal look at the four until Itachi stood up and eyed Sakura and Neji. "What happened to you two?" Itachi asked, eyebrows furrowed. He knew he wasn't going to like the sound of it. He knew they were going to add another layer of stress on Itachi's already stressed out mind.

Sakura sent Neji a cold glare which he returned silently. Seeing as the two wouldn't speak, Shikamaru went ahead, ready to get this over with. "They got in a fight." Shikamaru muttered.

That much was obvious, Itachi thought to himself. Neji and Sakura used to be on rather friendly terms but things between them were bitter. Sakura was the only one who could not forgive Neji completely. "About?" Itachi asked as he eyed Sakura and Neji to see if either one was particularly injured.

Shikamaru sighed. Here it was. "Neji has been _seeing_ a human."

Itachi paused for a moment as he examined Neji. "Is he now?"

"For a while now." Shikamaru stressed with his eyes boring into Itachi's.

Before Itachi could ask Sakura cut in. "A couple of months now." Sakura spat darkly.

Itachi's eyes flared as he stared at Neji. Itachi knew that while Neji did nothing wrong exactly, it was the premise that he was a very dangerous person and could be threatening this girl's life unknowingly. Sasuke remained silent choosing to look at the ground but listening ever so carefully. "What the fuck, Neji?" Itachi growled. "You are supposed to be the smart one, yet here you are putting _our_ lives at risk. Didn't you understand when I stressed the importance of low profile?"

"Naruto is too." Neji spat out nastily.

Itachi's eyes darkened. "Naruto is different than _you_. When will you understand that?"

"Must have missed it, _again_." Neji hissed. "I'm_ sorry_ Itachi-_sama_. I wasn't aware that I'm the only one that has to be good."

Itachi lifted his hand to his face. "That's not what we are talking about."

"Oh really? So Shikamaru can tell our secret to just any old girl? Sasuke can just fuck some chick's brains out until she figures it out on her own? Sakura is allowed to go attacking any bastard? Naruto is even allowed to be with my cousin? But I can't do shit?" Neji knew he was over exaggerating his points but melted down to their basic concepts, they were true.

Sasuke's stomach lurched. Sakura looked down blinking rapidly. Shikamaru muttered under his breath with his eyes clenched tightly. Neji hit them all with one blow.

Itachi sighed; he was already regretting his approach to this conversation. "Look, let's just-"

"Fuck you, Itachi; I'm done with this shit." With that Neji stormed up the stairs and was gone leaving the three teenagers to wallow in their mistakes and Itachi to figure out his next move. Neji was done with this bullshit. He had done nothing wrong. Fuck them.

* * *

Tenten ran to Ino's house after her meeting in the park with Kankuro. Ino needed to hear what he had told her. It wasn't something Tenten was ready to take care of on her own. Normally, she would tell Hinata first but because of the circumstances, she wasn't even sure she could tell Hinata.

She quickly ran up the steps and banged on the door. Tenten tapped her foot anxiously as she waited for someone to answer the door. Minutes later, Ino appeared. She looked at Tenten and motioned for her to walk in. The two scurried up to Ino's room and promptly slammed the door shut. Ino's parents didn't need to hear anything, especially Ino's father.

"Where the hell were you? I thought we were going to hang out after school?" Ino glared as she put her hands on her hips.

"We were?" Tenten asked. She hadn't remembered that.

"Well, I didn't want to go to the store alone." Ino looked down. Usually she dragged Tenten along for confidence. Ino was confident but not in those matters. She needed her support system with her.

"Oh, sorry, Ino. I didn't know." Tenten shrugged awkwardly. "You survived, didn't you?"

"No! Someone saw me!" Ino yelped, eyes furious.

Tenten sighed. Her problems were momentarily put on hold. She wasn't going to get anywhere until Ino talked. "Who?"

"That Nara ass." Ino huffed. Tenten stiffened but continued to listen. "He was telling me how to live my life when he goes around smoking like a chimney! The nerve of some people! So what if I want to look good? At least I won't have lung cancer." Ino ranted, waving her hands around enthusiastically. "I heard they put rat poison in those things! He is literally killing himself."

"Done yet?" Tenten asked as she sat on Ino's bed. Tenten really needed to get this off her chest.

"Yeah, yeah." Ino joined Tenten. "Not much else happened except trouble in paradise."

"Whose paradise?" Tenten inquired. Even though she wanted to say this, she needed no more distractions from Ino.

"Hinata and Naruto's." Ino sighed. "Apparently he told her something enough to make out poor Hina-chan go and kick the boy out crying."

Tenten's heart stopped. What could he have told her that would scare Hinata like that? It couldn't possibly be something like Kankuro was referring to. "Do you know what he told her?"

"Didn't ask. She seemed so distraught about it though." Ino shrugged. "Anyways, I'm sure they will work it out. So what did you want to tell me so urgently?"

Tenten hesitated. She knew she should tell Ino, she had the right to know. She just had to figure a way to explain it. "Ino, do you remember Kankuro? You two used to date a couple years back." Okay, so maybe not Tenten's best way to open this topic but it was hard to explain.

"Random question much?" Ino looked up in thought. "I remember him. It was pretty hot. I wonder why we broke up." Ino's nose scrunched up, trying to remember why.

Tenten sighed. This was going to take a while. "Not the point." Ino regained her focus and watched Tenten slowly. "See, we were talking today and he told me some interesting stuff…"

Ino stared at Tenten for a long moment. "He told you about when his brother caught us in the shower?"

Tenten, who wasn't even remotely surprised at this point, shook her head. "No. Something completely different."

"Oh." Ino tried to shake off her blush. "Well, go on, what did he tell you?"

Tenten proceeded to tell Ino nearly the entirety of the conversation she had with Kankuro. From the death of his sister to Sakura, she covered it all.

When she finished, Ino sat there is silence. She really wasn't sure what to say. She never knew Temari but they had talked occasionally and she was nice enough. It was horrifying hear all that stuff but what really interested Ino more was the Sakura bit. They had been really close, closer than Ino was with Hinata and Tenten. It wasn't that she didn't love them but Sakura and she had been friends since the beginning of time practically. Hinata and Tenten were the same with each other. That's why the four of them were a great group.

"Does he know what happened to Sakura during those two months she disappeared?" Ino asked carefully.

Tenten shook her head. "I didn't ask, but I don't think he knew."

Ino nodded her head. "Does he really think they are dangerous?" Ino's thoughts moved towards Hinata and Naruto.

"It almost sounds like both he and his brother think they are involved in their sister's death." Tenten murmured.

"I can't picture it. Naruto is a bumbling idiot. That Nara ass doesn't do anything, he is too fucking lazy. Uchiha looks like he could care less what anyone did as long as they don't bother him, and I doubt Temari would want to talk to him. And Hyuga is boring. He is all studious and dull, no offense. I can't imagine any of them being cold hearted killers." Ino paused. "Maybe Uchiha, but only if Temari pissed him off enough."

Tenten nodded her head. "I think we should still keep an eye on them. Especially Naruto."

"Of course." Ino combed through her hair. "How did this conversation between you two even start?"

Tenten paled. "I just bumped into him."

"And he told you about his sister's tragic death and the people he thinks are responsible for it?"

Tenten shook her head. "I-I think they think Neji was doing _stuff_ to me."

Ino blinked in surprise. "Well, was he?"

"No!" Tenten exclaimed. "That's why I'm so freaked out. Gaara and Kankuro seem dead certain but I can't picture those four doing anything. I'm just all confused and paranoid."

"Why are you so paranoid?" Ino asked with a frown.

Tenten shook her head. "It's nothing."

"Hey!" Ino lightly swatted Tenten's shoulder. "You can tell me anything."

Tenten sighed. Maybe just telling Ino about all the things stressing her out would lessen the load. Maybe just talking about it will make it all go away or at least she'd have someone to talk about it with. She wouldn't be alone anymore.

So Tenten began the tale of her week home alone and her stalker, Ino listening the whole way through. Tenten even went into detail about when she told Neji. It just felt nice to say it all to someone she could trust. Why she didn't do it sooner was beyond her.

Ino crawled over to Tenten and wrapped her arm around Tenten's shoulders. She hadn't known that Tenten was going through a hard time. But now that she did, all she wanted to do was relieve the stress from Tenten. First off, being rejected was one of the worst feelings in the world, at least in Ino's book. Second, Gaara and Kankuro were now filling Tenten's head with more stress when she, thirdly, was dealing with that stalker.

"Don't worry, we will figure this out. Just let it all out."

* * *

"R-Really?" Hinata gasped in amazement. Naruto and Hinata were currently sitting underneath their tree in the school's grounds. Naruto was slowly explaining to Hinata about his _condition_. Hinata, who was still coping with the fact that this was all real, listened intently on Naruto's explanations.

"Yeah, Teme and Neji suck a control but me and Shikamaru do well." Naruto boasted proudly. "Neji is the worst and teme is getting better after his _accident_."

"W-What did h-he do?" Hinata asked wide eyed.

Naruto paused and looked away. "I shouldn't talk about it. He doesn't like it if we do. It's kind of taboo to say anything about it."

"O-Oh, you don't h-have to say." Hinata muttered quietly. Although she was curious, she wouldn't force Naruto to share, especially information that wasn't any of her business.

"If you don't say anything I guess I could tell you a little bit." Naruto scratched the back of his head with a shy grin. Hinata nodded her head and Naruto sighed. "Well, Sasuke-teme kept the secret from his girlfriend and in the end, things didn't turn out well."

"I-Is she dead?" Hinata whispered, her blood running cold.

Naruto's eyes popped open. "No! No! She still alive it's just shaky between them. They rarely see each other anymore but when they do, man it's scary. We don't talk about _her_ anymore."

Hinata slowly nodded her head before resting it on Naruto's shoulder. He slowly wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her as close as possible.

"I don't want us to end up like teme or her, okay?" Naruto whispered.

"Me too." Hinata muttered back.

* * *

The three teens waited while Itachi thought. It was silent. Shikamaru was thinking of what was. Sakura was thinking of what is. Sasuke was thinking of what will. All was silent, even the other people in the room as they all waited for Itachi.

Itachi coughed, getting the three's attention. "_One_ of you should go after him."

"Who?" Shikamaru asked. "He is pissed at all of us."

"I'll go." Sakura muttered darkly before the other two could volunteer.

"We don't need you two getting in another fight." Itachi warned.

"We won't." Sakura promised. "Just, let me talk to him."

Itachi, although hesitant, agreed. He knew Shikamaru wouldn't really be able to change the stubborn boy's mind and Sasuke would only make matters work. Sakura was his only hope to knock some sense into the boy. She knew what angle to take and probably where to find him.

Sakura nodded her head and walked up the stairs. Shikamaru and Sasuke followed behind quickly. Once the three were on the first level, Shikamaru grabbed Sakura's wrist.

"What are you going to do?" He asked, his eyes searching the pinkette's face. He could at least make sure she didn't stray from orders.

"Talk." Sakura stated dully.

Shikamaru sighed and let the girl's wrist go. After three years of the emotionless mask, she let it go for a few minutes and quickly put it right back up.

Sakura walked toward the door and wrenched it open. "It's cold outside." Sasuke blurted out. Shikamaru and Sakura stared at the Uchiha. Usually Sasuke and Sakura avoided each other and didn't speak at all. Shikamaru couldn't remember the last time they had. "You should wear a jacket." Sasuke added, gesturing to the rack of jackets. Without another word, he trekked upstairs to the second story.

Once Sasuke was gone from Shikamaru's sight, Shikamaru turned to looked at Sakura but found her already on her way out the door, one of the jackets missing from the rack.

* * *

Ino sat with Tenten on her bed, rubbing circles on the poor girl's back. To think someone could do that made Ino sick to her stomach. Tenten might not know who her stalker was, but Ino wasn't going to let Tenten out of her sight after hearing that.

Tenten wiped her face from the tears that had fallen and pulled away from Ino. "You can't tell anyone about this."

"What about Hinata?" Ino asked curiously. While the three girls were close, Ino wasn't an idiot and knew Hinata and Tenten were much closer and told each other everything. Ino had been the same with Sakura.

Tenten wanted to so badly, but she couldn't. "Naruto is directly involved if Gaara and Kankuro are right. If we tell Hinata and Hinata tells Naruto, who knows what will happen if it keeps spreading?" Tenten shuddered at the thought.

"Well you can't deal with this alone." Ino crossed her arms, referring to Tenten's creepy stalker.

"But he hasn't come in a week or so!" Tenten explained rapidly. "I think he is done with me."

Ino stared at Tenten like she is crazy. "Tenten, that's fucking crazy talk. What if he does come back? What are you going to do? Let him do whatever the hell he pleases?"

Tenten bit her lips. "I can't do anything though. He is probably stronger than me. I can't even call the police again! They already scanned the area and found nothing. They think I made it up but if he comes back…"

Ino narrows her eyes. "We can confront him, together."

Now it was Tenten's turn to stare at Ino like she was crazy. "No! What if he is a murderer or something?"

"Sure we can." Ino waved Tenten off. "In public, he can't do anything. You said he doesn't bother you if you're with someone."

"But what about when we are alone. We can't be together 24/7." Tenten shot back. She had run through all the possibilities of what she could do. None of them were pleasing.

"I just don't think we should sit here and wait for him to do something." Ino growled. She didn't like this one bit.

"We are doing something." Tenten reasoned. "We are going to keep an eye on them and see if anything is up and we are just going to watch out backs." Tenten easily changed the topic of discussion to something equally scary but with a face, rather than the unknown man outside her window.

According to Kankuro, Naruto and his gang were dangerous and she had to protect Hinata by getting as much information as she could. With Ino's help, they were going to figure this out.

* * *

Sakura pulled up to the cemetery after picking up her car from town. She knew Neji would be there even if it was drawing closer to the dead of night. He always was when he wanted to be alone or when he needed to talk to someone. Naruto, Sasuke, and Shikamaru never visited with Neji; only Sakura had.

Sakura slowly climbed out of the car and walked down the old cobble stone path. She knew the way; she had come with him quite a few times. That's how they both bonded; they both had lost loved ones. Neji lost his dad; Sakura lost both her mom and her dad.

Sakura turned down a row and could see his silhouette hunched over. Sakura slowly approached. She could see him staring intently at the tombstone, deep in thought. Sakura coughed to get his attention but he didn't seem to her hear.

Sakura came even closer and put her hand on his tense shoulder. He didn't turn to acknowledge her but he knew she was there. He felt her kneel beside him, in front of his father's tomb.

"Hello, Hizashi-san." Sakura whispered to the tombstone, her voice losing its dull tone and picking up an old Sakura one. "I'm sorry to interrupt your time with Neji."

"What do you want Sakura?" Neji hissed venomously.

"Not here." Sakura stated in the same quiet voice. "Let's walk."

Sakura stood up along with Neji and the two started walking down the rows of the deceased. Sakura's parents were a few rows south of Neji's dad so to avoid, they continued north, toward the memorial stone of those who died in combat.

"Come to lecture more?" Neji asked as they stopped by the stone.

Sakura shook her head no. "I wanted to understand." Sakura's dull voice picked right back up from before but Neji knew she couldn't really help it. It was who she was now. Just like he was a monster now. They didn't have a choice in the matter.

"What is there to understand?" Neji whispered. "It's a simple concept. I enjoyed spending time with Tenten and I have everything under control."

"That's not true." Sakura contradicted. "If that was the case, you wouldn't be here, talking with your dad. It has to be something more than that."

"What do you know?" Neji's eyes flashed to the girl beside him. She wasn't looking at him. Her pale jade eyes were reading the names off the stone.

"How much we forget as time passes." Sakura muttered. "It wasn't that long ago that we would come here together."

"Times have changed." Neji spoke.

"Yeah, I remember when you hated what happened to me." Sakura explained as she walked around the stone to see more of the names engraved on it.

"Is this your way of telling me to back off Tenten?" Neji asked with narrowed eyes. "I'm not going to let her get hurt."

"No, it's my way of asking, what changed your opinion?" Sakura looked up at him. "You went from hating what happened because it was cruel and wrong, to doing exactly that."

"It's different." Neji looked away. Her eyes made him feel guilty.

"How?" Sakura asked her eyes now back to the memorial stone.

Neji didn't speak immediately as he pondered her question. He knew deep down it was different. He knew it was. "I don't want to hurt her."

Sakura tried not to wince at what Neji had said. She knew that _he_ had hurt her but she always ignored the fact that _he_ wanted to. "But you are, that part of you is going to. You know that."

"I know." Neji looked down, dropping his hands from his face. "But what if it is too late?"

"Has he done anything to her?" Sakura looked up. "In the two months, has he made contact?"

"No." Neji admitted. "I restrain as much as I can."

Sakura nodded her head. "You won't be able to hold out much longer." Sakura's voice echoed across the cemetery. "_He_ only lasted four months before _he_ bit the first time."

"I know." Neji clenched his fist frustrated with himself. "I try to stay away but it hurts to stay away and it hurts to leave her."

"It'll hurt much more, later on; for both of you." Sakura mumbled. "I know firsthand."

"I think I really like her." Neji blurted out. He needed to get that off his chest. If Sakura was going to compare it, she might as well know the full story.

Sakura looked up at him wide eyed, forgetting the names on the memorial stone, as her mask cracked. "Do you really?"

"I don't even know anymore." Neji explained. "But I don't want to lose her, you know?"

Sakura eyes raked over the memorial stone again. "Yes."

"So where does that leave me in Itachi's mind?" Neji asked as she saw the pinkette trace over a name or two.

"Honestly, not in good standings. You should try to stay away from Tenten or at the very least, whittle the number of times down." Sakura sighed. "This was the reason you weren't let out in the first place."

"You think he'll be pissed if I came back now?"

"Probably. I'd stay away for the night at least." Sakura spoke. She sighed as she muttered her next works. "My house is always open, Hyuga."

"It'll be like old days." Neji smirk.

Sakura looked down dimly, almost with an expression of sadness. "Except this time you won't mopping up my blood."

* * *

Suigetsu couldn't sleep. His neck was killing him. Apparently that's where the pink haired bitch got him. Suigetsu sat up and frowned. It was the middle of the night and he was bored.

The nurses gave him magazines and books but he would kill just go get some fresh air. They wouldn't even let him open a window. Apparently the last idiot here jumped. Suigetsu might not be a genius but he wasn't a crazy fuck. He just wanted for _fresh air_. He wanted to feel the wind on his face and for a moment, imagine he was free, not just from the hospital but from Konoha.

Suigetsu laid back down and closed his eyes. Today he was in minimal pain but they still kept him in the damned bed. He wasn't tired because he wasn't moving and burning energy. He hated it.

The door opened and Suigetsu pretended to sleep. It was probably one of the night nurses coming to check on him. He waited but he didn't hear the nurse moving about or leaving. It was quiet again. _Maybe she just looked in and left._

"I know you are up, Suigetsu-kun." A soft male voice said.

Suigetsu sat up. That was not his usual nurse. Sitting in front of him was a man with stark white hair in a ponytail and dark gray eyes hidden behind round rimmed glasses.

"Who the hell are you?" Suigetsu's eyes narrowed.

"You can call me Kabuto." The man, Kabuto, smiled kindly. Suigetsu could tell it was fake.

"And what do you want 'Kabuto'?" Suigetsu hissed.

"Just your time." Kabuto smiled. "I have a proposition for you."

"I don't want to make any deal with you." Suigetsu snarled. "Now get out before I call the nurse." Suigetsu's hand went to press the button with a nurse on it.

"I thought you wanted revenge." Suigetsu's hand froze.

"What?"

"I just came here to offer you a deal to get revenge on Haruno Sakura, the one who did this to you." Kabuto shrugged as he stood up. "But if you don't want to make deals, I should be going."

"Wait, get revenge of as in-"

"Make her pay for what she did." Kabuto clarified as he sat down on a nearby chair. "We have a common goal in mind."

Suigetsu smirked. He could get his direct revenge on the pink haired bitch. He was going to make her pay. And now he finally had something to fucking do in this god-forsaken hospital. Regardless of whom this stranger was, Suigetsu was going to get revenge. Sitting in this hospital for past couple of months might have actually driven him insane.

* * *

_"I can show you the world,_

_Shining, shimmering, splendid,_

_Tell me, princess, now when did,_

_You last let your heart decide?" The television sang out of Sakura and her boyfriend as they watched Disney's Aladdin. _

"_That's impossible." He muttered more to himself then the pinkette._

_Sakura frowned and looked up at him. "What is?"_

"_Magic carpets." He explained with a small gesture toward the movie on the screen. "Not only are they impossible but they are impractical."_

"_This is one of the most romantic parts of the whole movie but all you can think about are the practicality of magic carpets?" Sakura asked amused._

"_That's not romantic." He stated with a slight roll of the eyes._

"_How is it not?" Sakura asked curious as she narrowed her eyes at him._

"_How is it?" He countered with a smirk._

"_He is taking her on a magical carpet ride around the world, serenading her!" Sakura exclaimed. "You tell me how that isn't romantic."_

"_It's just not." He lifted his chin up in defiance._

"_Oh then what is romantic?" Sakura asked as she raised an eyebrow._

_He turned is head so his eyes met hers and he smirked. "I think how we first met was pretty romantic."_

"_You pushed me in a lake then gave me your jacket it without a word. Oh at a party of under aged drinkers." Sakura deadpanned._

"_I didn't push you." He hissed jokingly. "You fell."_

"_Because you scared the crap out of me!" Sakura yelped._

"_It's not my fault that you frighten easily." He murmured._

"_And it's not my fault that you don't have a romantic bone in your body." Sakura huffed._

"_I do."_

"_I really find that hard to believe." Sakura shook her head with a small smile. "It's fine though, I make up for it."_

"_I don't think you have room to talk if you're taking your advice from Disney movies." He quipped._

"_The prince always gets the princess in the end so he must be doing something right." Sakura smirked._

"_I got you in the end, so doesn't that mean I did something right?" He grinned._

_Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Shut up."_

* * *

**Hello, thanks again for reading :D**

**Just want to say, the focus of this story is split as you have noticed. In different parts of the story, some storylines/characters will be more in focus than other storyline/characters. I hope this doesn't confuse anyone. **

**Anyways, thank you for reading (really keeps me writing this story and keeping it alive) and thank you for taking the time to review (really motivates me to write during those times for writers block). I love hearing from you guys whether it is your opinions, predictions, or suggestions. **

**So thanks you everything and see you soon. **


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. **

**Warning: This is a Vampire-High School AU. There will be some OOCness.**

**For Kayla!**

**Also, in honor of the last Naruto chapter and Epilogue coming out.**

* * *

Tenten and Ino faced each other, both red in the face and with fierce eyes, in Tenten's gym. They were circling each other carefully. Each watching the other and waiting for one to move out of the rhythm.

"Remember what mama taught you." Ino grinned gesturing for Tenten to come at her.

"Don't refer to yourself as 'mama'." Tenten shook her head unsettled.

"Ready?" Ino asked, ignoring Tenten's request. Tenten nodded her head.

In an instance, Ino was behind Tenten holding her from behind. Tenten looked back at Ino dully. This was not working. If anything, Tenten was just wasting her time and Ino was, well, Ino was doing something but it wasn't helping.

"You're nothing like him." Tenten pointed out. "I don't even know who it is and I can tell you right now, you are nothing like him."

Ino rolled her eyes. "That's not the point! What do you do to get out?"

Tenten rolled her eyes. "Crotch."

Ino grinned cynically. "Crotch is key."

"So I kick backwards and it works, he lets go." Tenten mimicked the motion gently to not hurt her friend who followed along and let go. "I turn around and now what?"

Ino stood in front of Tenten. "Okay, my dad taught me this one. You take your hand and push up and diagonally, palm out. Aim for the nose." Ino demonstrated. "Then run like crazy."

Tenten sighed, knowing this was pointless if she ever encountered her stalker. Another week had passed and there was no sign of him, but Ino wasn't letting Tenten go without teaching her self-defense.

"You know he might faster than me." Tenten put her hands on her hips, continuing to point out the flaws in Ino's carefully planned out lessons.

"You are on the track team!" Ino yelped flabbergasted.

"While that is great, I can't run forever." Tenten growled.

"That's why you run for your phone or help in that time. He is hurt and you have to take advantage of it." Ino sighed. "Just do the motion."

Tenten did as she was told and they continued going over each technique. When they finished up, they went up to Tenten's apartment and changed.

As they changed Ino threw a hard object at Tenten's head, making a clunk as it hit her skull and another clunk as it hit the floor. Tenten picked it up and stared at Ino tiredly. She was getting real tired of Ino's shit.

"What the hell?" Tenten held up the offending object, which was a pointy green ring, delicately between her index finger and thumb.

Ino grinned. "Put it on your punching hand, it adds a lot more string to it."

Tenten's eyes light up with realization. "Thanks." Tenten grinned as she put it on and examined it. It was quite hard and sharp. It could do some serious damage.

"No problem. I have one in purple for me and another one in blue for Hinata." Ino shrugged. "They were on sale."

* * *

"You can probably go back there now." Sakura stated to Neji who sat across from her at the kitchen table. Neji was reading a copy of the newspaper while Sakura was cleaning the counters. It was oddly domesticated and Sakura was getting tired of the constant company. After living alone for a few years, she was not really used to the company of others and she was not used to _ever_ spending so much time with Neji. "I'm sure they have all cooled off."

Neji eyed the pinkette over the newspaper. "I have the feeling you don't like me freeloading here."

"One night was fine, two was okay, and three was pushing it. It's been a week." Sakura deadpanned. "I like my space, and you're in it."

"Point taken, but I can't go back there." Neji folded the newspaper and set it on the counter. They held each other's gaze, waiting for the other to move.

"Why the hell not?" Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Shikamaru is pissed off at me and rightfully so, Naruto is probably going to lecture for hours, and I think one of the Uchihas will kill me." Neji sighed and then thought for a second. "Or both."

"You did fuck up." Sakura shrugged. "But you are doing well, I guess." She added after seeing him wince. "You haven't gone to see her in…two weeks?"

"Yes, but it's only because I lock myself in your house." Neji groaned. "I can barely keep it together at school." Neji's monster was getting fed up and kept whispering into his ears. He was going insane with its ever present suggestions. While he would never act them out, if he lost even the slightest grip over the monster it would act them out for him.

"Lock yourself up at the Uchiha house then and maybe ask your _friends_ to help you out."

"You could help me out." Neji nudged her. She had recently started opening up to him as he stayed in the house and if he could fix her, he felt better about his fucked up situation.

"We aren't friends." Sakura deadpanned. "I prefer not to have any contact with you guys in school. I barely want to see you outside of there." Sakura nudged back sharply, trying to sever any friendly contact.

There was a knock at the door and Sakura got up slowly. It could really only be a handful of people at her door and she knew it wasn't for her. She went to the door and opened it. Shikamaru was leaning against the wall, looking bored. His lazy eyes swung over and glanced at her dully.

"Hey, is Neji here?" Shikamaru asked carefully watching the pinkette and gaged her response. After she had left to search for him, they never came back and all they got was a text from Sakura to Itachi with a brief explanation.

"Yeah, come in." Sakura rolled her eyes and led him toward the kitchen. There were too many people inside her house for comfort. She was used to being alone after three years. "I'll be in my room. When you two are done, get the fuck out." Sakura ordered as she went up to her room and closed the door.

Shikamaru watched her go up in silence.

"She still isn't the same." Neji spoke. "She still closed off and cold but she seemed a bit better when I was here. I think she smiled twice. Granted it wasn't the same as before but it's a start."

Shikamaru looked down at the other boy. "I suppose it takes time."

Neji nodded his head. "So, you needed something?"

Shikamaru sighed and sat down beside Neji. "Yeah, Itachi wants you back to staying at the house."

"So he can keep an eye on me?" Neji hissed darkly.

"Nah, he has Sakura doing that anyways." Shikamaru waved off. "He wants us all to be within reach."

"Oh, not Sakura?" Neji asked.

"You think that even if Itachi asked, she'd stay at the Uchiha house?" Shikamaru asked amused.

Neji chuckled. "Probably not."

Shikamaru stood up. "Besides it's getting boring there. Naruto is practically gone all the time now that he is with Hinata. Sasuke is being a little bitch as always, maybe a bit worse. Itachi and his gang are locked in the basement doing who knows what."

"You're bored."

"Better to be bored with someone else." Shikamaru shrugged and that was the true nature of Shikamaru and Neji's friendship. They simply tolerated everyone else's bullshit together since they were both forced to suffer through it. They kept each other in check. Even with all the bullshit they went through together a few years back, they were still there for each other.

Neji stood up. "Alright, I better get it over with anyways."

"Get what over with?" Shikamaru asked curiously.

"The beating I'll get from Uchiha." Neji yawned. "It's inevitable. He is pissed at me for what I did and more importantly, what I called him out on. All he needs to do is land one good punch and he is all good again."

"True." Shikamaru sighed as the two boys left Sakura's house wordlessly.

* * *

"So you think you are ready to put that self-defense into action?" Ino grinned as she eyed the ring on Tenten's finger.

"I'm not going to look for a fight." Tenten stared at Ino dumbfounded. "I don't even know who he is."

"But if it happens." Ino pressed.

"I think I'd be ready." Tenten sighed unsure. She really didn't think that what Ino taught her would be enough and she was scared of what would happen if she didn't succeed.

"You'll be fine." Ino waved off. "I taught you the secret family moves. You can beat up anyone."

"You mean defend myself." Tenten pointed out.

"Whatever, you still have to harm the other person to get away. Enough defense talk, Hinata is waiting for us!" Ino cheered as she marched ahead.

Tenten ran to catch up. "It's been a while since we have seen her."

"I know. I kind of feel bad but she has Naruto." Ino shrugged.

"That's not a good thing." Tenten frowned. "He could be dangerous and if he is, then he is the very thing were practicing to defend ourselves-"

"Tenten," Ino cut off sharply. "What did I say about self-defense talk stuff?"

"Enough, I know." Tenten sighed.

"Good now let's-Oh my god! Tenten! Look!" Ino exclaimed as she ran across the street. Tenten followed dutifully. "And they have it in purple! I'll be like five minutes!" Ino told Tenten as she ran into the clothing store. Whatever it was that caught Ino's eye, now made them late to meet up with Hinata.

Tenten waited outside and closed her eyes. 'Training' with Ino was exhausting but it was nothing compared to listening to Ino talk. She loved the girl, but man she wanted peace and quiet. Ever since Tenten told Ino about her stalker, Ino didn't leave her side. Now she finally had a chance to rest. She would not recommend 24/7 Ino to anyone who wanted to keep their sanity.

Neji and Shikamaru were also walking downtown. Shikamaru needed another box of cigarettes which was the reason for the detour. While Neji himself didn't like smoking, Shikamaru was an addict and needed it. Whatever made him happy was his prerogative. Neji really couldn't judge him on bad decisions anyway.

Neji waited outside the convenience store. He looked around and observed the town's people going about their business. During his week at Sakura's, he stayed locked in the house and didn't go out in hopes to keep himself in check. It was nice to just be outside. His eyes trailed a young couple in their early twenties as they passed by a boutique. Then he saw her. Tenten was leaning against the outside of the shop with her eyes closed. She seemed to be waiting for someone but was all alone.

_**Go get her.**_

Neji continued to watch her. His heart sped up just by seeing her. Two weeks without her and seeing her now drove him insane. It was unbearable, the need to have her with him, in his arms, her lips on his, her blood... Neji paused. Those weren't his thoughts…the monster was speaking again. He cast a glance toward the convenience store Shikamaru was in and estimated his time. He needed to see her now to sate him and the monster inside or else who knows what he might do.

He quickly crossed the street and walked a ways down until he was near her. Her eyes were still closed as he leaned against the wall space beside her. Her eyes fluttered over as she looked over at him.

Tenten felt her heart stop. He was just sitting there, looking at her curiously. Tenten didn't know how long he was standing beside her but she felt the tension building up in her shoulders. God, she had missed him. Just seeing him though, brought back his reject and Tenten wasn't really sure where they stood.

Neji watched her eyes and how they were filled with so many emotions; worry, fear, sadness, and unsureness. It made him feel like shit.

"It's...been awhile." Neji spoke.

Tenten nodded her head. "It has."

Neji missed talking to her. While she wasn't speaking to him happily, she was still speaking back and that was enough for him right now. "How have you been?" He inquired.

Tenten froze. _Don't let give him any reason to think something is wrong, she couldn't let him know about what Kankuro had told her_. "Fine." Tenten lied.

Neji's eyes narrowed slightly. He could tell she was lying. "Are you sure?" He pestered.

Tenten turned her body so that she was completely facing him. He could see right through her, shit. Well, maybe this was an opportunity to get answers. "I heard some stuff about you and your group." She stated shakily.

Neji frowned. "What about my 'group'?"

Tenten inwardly shrank back. "I heard you're dangerous and not normal, amongst other stuff."

Neji shook his head. "And what are you talking about?" He asked is a low voice. Where was all this coming from? Who had she heard this from?

Tenten's mouth went dry. She couldn't speak.

"Hyuga, let's go." Shikamaru barked across the street. Neji looked up and cursed.

"Another time." He murmured to Tenten as he joined Shikamaru.

"What were you doing?" Shikamaru asked as they started to walk towards the car.

"Just talking with her." Neji muttered.

"You do realize the whole reason you got into this mess was because you had talked with her, right?" Shikamaru groaned.

"She knows something." Neji said.

"What does she know?"

"I'm not sure, but we should tread carefully." Neji clarified.

"Shit, this won't be good." Shikamaru puffed on his cigarette in frustration.

* * *

"And you just said that to him?" Ino asked at the two approached Hinata's house. Ino was floating on a cloud of amazement and pride.

"Yeah...that was so stupid!" Tenten wailed, feeling the exact opposite of how Ino was feeling. "I shouldn't have said anything. I should have ignored him. Now he knows we are on to him!"

"Well there isn't any use worrying about it now." Ino patted Tenten on the shoulder. "Besides, now we can see if they start acting strange!" She then knocked on the front door. "Also, it was kind of awesome." She winked.

A few minutes later the door opened revealing the youngest Hyuga.

"Oh, it's you." Tenten muttered as her eyes fell on Hanabi.

"Hi, Hanabi!" Ino waved.

"Hey, Tenten." Hanabi opened the door wide letting them in. "...and Ino. Hinata is upstairs." She added Ino's name with a second thought.

Ino's smile fell and she stomped in. Tenten smirked and walked in, ruffling Hanabi's hair in the process. "Thanks, twerp."

The two teenagers walked up stairs, Ino complaining. "How the hell does she like you better than me?"

"You treat her like she is five." Tenten shrugged.

"So?"

"...she is thirteen."

"So I was a little off."

"By eight years."

"Whatever." Ino waved Tenten off as she tapped on Hinata's door. "Hinata! Open up!"

There was rustling and shuffling from the other side of the door and Tenten and Ino looked at each other confused. A minute later Hinata cracked open the door. She looked both ways down the hall before grabbed each of their arms and pulling them inside.

They were shoved in and the door was slammed behind. Ino blinked at the sight and Tenten narrowed her eyes. Lying on Hinata's bed was Naruto who writing on a few sheets of paper, his face screwed in concentration.

"What is Uzumaki doing here?" Ino accused with an underlying suggestive tone as she pointed to the offending person.

"Oi! I was here first!" Naruto pointed at Ino. "And we were doing _homework,_ pervert!" He stuck his tongue out childishly at Ino who reciprocated the action. It was really hard to believe this guy could be considered dangerous when he acted so…childish.

Tenten just shook her head. "Sure you were. Good bye, Naruto." Tenten suggested with her eyes flicking towards the window out.

"Oh, right girl time." Naruto made a face as he packed up his papers. "Bye, Ino, Tenten," Naruto hugged Hinata and kissed her. "See you later, Hinata." He whispered to her before pecking her on the lips again.

"B-Bye, Naruto-kun." She mumbled as he climbed out her window.

Ino looked like she was going to cry tears of joy while Tenten watched Naruto climb out the window skeptically.

"You guys are so cute!" Ino gushed once Naruto was gone.

"T-Thanks…" Hinata said awkwardly. Hinata really wanted to tell them what Naruto had told her the other week but she had promised to keep it a secret. She never kept secrets well and especially from her friends. They knew everything, including all her tells.

"No like seriously, you two are like perfect for each other. I wouldn't be surprised if your babies-"

"Ino!" Tenten exclaimed.

Ino looked over at Tenten and her eyes filled with realization. "Oh, right. Sorry."

Hinata's blush disappeared and was replaced by a frown. "W-What have you two been u-up too?"

"Training." Ino said easily as she sat beside Hinata.

Tenten was about the smack her. "Studying, she means."

"Oh, I see." Hinata looked down. "S-Sorry I've been busy lately. Our schedules haven't really m-matched up for a while. T-Things have been busy with family and N-Naruto-kun and school."

Tenten felt bad. Poor Hinata felt left out but she wouldn't understand. Even if she did, Naruto would cause a conflict one way or another. "You're fine, we've been busy too."

"Yeah! You won't believe it-" Ino laughed.

Tenten smacked Ino this time, promptly shutting up the blonde. "Ino!"

"W-What are you two t-talking about?"

Ino and Tenten shared a surprised look. "Don't worry about Hinata, Ino is just being stupid."

Hinata looked down at her knees. "Y-You guys can tell m-me anything."

Tenten sat down beside her as well. "I know it's just-"

"Aw, come on, Tennie, can't we tell her? What's the worst that will happen?" Ino begged.

Tenten gave Ino a stubborn look but sighed. "Ino, don't do this."

Ino bit her lips. She didn't think it was right to keep Hinata out of the loop. It was best if she knew so that she could be careful. Hell, she would be a better informant with her dating one of their suspects. "But-"

"It would be easier to protect her." Tenten cut Ino off as she thought out loud.

"Protect me from what?" Hinata asked confused.

Ino licked her lips. "Well, your boyfriend might be a murderer."

"Ino!" Tenten yelped. Ino really didn't have any tack.

Hinata frowned. "A murderer?"

Tenten cleared her throat. "Not a murderer per say, just dangerous."

Hinata stiffened. They couldn't possibly know what Naruto was…could they. "What kind of dangerous?" Hinata frowned.

Ino and Tenten shared a long look. "It's crazy but," Tenten started.

"The kind of dangerous that," Ino picked up.

"Gets people killed." Ino and Tenten mumbled together. Hinata felt her heart stop.

* * *

It was midnight and just like any other night, Sakura found herself walking around the edge of the lake. The moon reflected across the smooth surface like a mirror. Sakura would normally dip her feet in the waters but she didn't want to break the surface. This was her quiet place and as much as she hated this place, she loved it. It would always be hers and the memories there were ones she hated but cherished as well.

After a week of constant company from Neji, coming to her special spot was a welcomed luxury. Just simply being alone was refreshing after having Neji around. It wasn't that he was annoying and attention hogging, it was just exhausting having to play host. Usually, when she was forced to watch the boys, she did it from afar.

"Ah, you are a pretty little flower." A silky voice cooed. "Kabuto was right about you."

Sakura spun around to face the person who had spoken, not expecting there to be another sole at the lake at such an hour. She blinked as she saw a man with long black hair and golden snake eyes. He was smiling maliciously at her and she felt nervous. Only a handful of people could do that to her and he was by far the worst.

Even though fear was trailing up her spine, Sakura remained silent. "Oh, Kabuto mentioned that you were a shy little one. Let me introduce myself. I'm called Orochimaru." He smiled. _The snake_, Sakura thought to herself. It was the same man that was causing Itachi problems. He was even more dangerous than Sakura initially thought as she observed him and listened to him talk.

"Oh, you seem to recognize my name, right Sakura?" Sakura's swallowed hard. He knew her name, probably from that Kabuto. "Itachi-san must have told you about me. Well, don't worry; I'm not as bad as he says I am. It's really all a matter of perceptive."

Sakura begged to differ but still didn't speak.

Orochimaru took a step towards Sakura and she remained rooted in her spot. "You are a brave little girl, aren't you? You must have gone through a lot in your past life; I can only imagine what Itachi was able to do for you. That must mean you are something to him, something _special_ right?" Orochimaru took another step closer. There was five foot barrier between the two. "He probably cares a lot about you. It would be a shame if something were to in fact happen to you." Sakura took a step back. Orochimaru smirked at this. "Scared? Don't be. You have nothing to worry about dearie, I need you around still. If I do anything drastic, Itachi-san won't even consider negotiations on our deal."

"What deal?" Sakura finally spoke.

"You have a pretty little voice, like an angel's" Orochimaru took two quick steps forward. "But it looks like Itachi-san doesn't trust you enough. I offered him a deal, he turned it down. Rest assure though, I will get what I want, even if I have to rip it from him." Orochimaru took another step forward and Sakura took one back and jumped as she made contact with the water behind her. The surface of the water was cracking now and so was her mask. Fear was beginning to show.

"I keep saying don't worry, I won't hurt you too much." Orochimaru smirked. Sakura felt something by her legs and looked down to see two black and brown stripped water moccasins wrapping around her legs. She didn't dare move as one coiled around her calf as the other made its way up her leg, past her thigh and rested its head on her hip bone. "Don't worry, the bite of a water moccasin doesn't kill you, but I imagine it would be rather painful. No, the black mamba is what you should worry about." Orochimaru gestured toward Sakura's leg. She hastily looked down to see another snake, an olive brownish color, slithered up her leg, around her stomach until it was loosely wrapped around her neck. "That one can kill a normal person, but I don't know about you. I guess we will have to wait and see. These are Kabuto's. He is a scientist and he uses them for tests. I imagine that they have also been mutated so it's hard to say what _will_ happen."

As if on cue, all three snakes attacked at the same time; one bit behind her knee, another piercing her hip and the last on her collar bone.

The pain was immediate and Sakura feel to the ground with a strangled cry. She limbs seized and she couldn't move, paralyzed by fear or pain, probably both. The impacted caused the snakes to bite again, then again, and they continued on their frenzy, piercing her skin in different places. The venom felt like fire burning and melting her veins as it traveled quickly through her body. The areas she was being bitten at felt as if they had been burnt by hot wires that pieced her skin and then were roughly torn out, breaking the skin.

"Now, Sakura let me let you in on a little secret of mine." Orochimaru kneeled down beside her with a small sinister smile. "I am going to get what I want, even if I have to rip it out of Itachi's cold, lifeless, hands, got it?"

* * *

Sasuke sat beside Naruto in the basement. Itachi wanted to call a meeting a discuss something of importance to them. Neji and Shikamaru had arrived and joined them although it was a little tense. Itachi didn't seem to notice as he stood up.

Sasuke still hadn't spilled Naruto's secret and kept pestering the dobe on what he was going to do, but nothing had changed yet. Sasuke wasn't sure what to worry about first. Naruto telling Hinata about them, Neji harassing some innocent girl, Sakura disappearing from sight, Shikamaru's depression, Itachi's snake problem. It was becoming too much to bear.

"Alright, everyone listen up." Itachi called over everyone. The room silenced immediately. "It's time we starting acting as a unit. Our enemies are piling up, victim numbers are increasing, and we are scattering. We have to pull together and keep a _low profile_. That means, no more drinking unless it is _absolutely necessary_."

"What the fuck, Itachi." Hidan growled from the back. His eyes glaring at Itachi's.

Itachi's face darkened. "We have a new predator on the loose. One that wants us gone. They will be our downfall if we all keep fucking up. For now, you go drinking as a group. Stay together and no more of this lone wolf act." Itachi stared at the four younger boys. "Does everyone understand?"

"Where is Sakura?" Zetsu hissed from the couch, mentioning their classic lone wolf.

Itachi narrowed his eyes. "I'm not sure…"

"I'm sure she is fine." Sasori muttered. "She is tough enough to handle most."

Itachi nodded his head. "Just in case, I'll go check on her."

"No." Sasuke stood up as narrowed his eyes at his older brother. "I'll do it."

Itachi raised an eyebrow at his brother. "Really now?"

Sasuke curtly nodded his head. He didn't trust his brother around Sakura, plus he knew where she was already. She only ever went to school, her home, and that damn lake in her free time.

"We'll go with." Shikamaru sighed as he stood up, yanking Naruto and Neji up as well. He met Itachi's eyes. "No more lone wolf act."

"Alright." Itachi sat down in his arm chair. "If you're not back in an hour Deidara and Sasori will come looking for you."

* * *

_"Your turn!" Sakura exclaimed grinning as she clapped her hands together. She was sitting in her boyfriend's bed. It was raining outside and they couldn't go to their spot in the park. They were laying together rattling off questions to each other. _

_ "Favorite month." He murmured into her hair._

_ "July." She answered simply. "You?"_

"_March." He answered without hesitation._

"_Okay, favorite color." Sakura fired watching him carefully. For the most part, she already knew the answers to these questions but she was curious to see if any had changed since they had been together._

_ "Black." He stated._

_ "That's not a color!" Sakura accused sticking her tongue at him._

_ "…a very dark blue." He smirked at her frown. "You?"_

"_Red." She shrugged._

"_Favorite animal." He asked._

_ "Bears." She grinned at his confused face. Bears were powerfully, strong, and beautiful. She just loved them. "What about you?"_

_ "Snakes." He grinned amused at her face._

_ "Oh, hell no! This isn't going to work out between us." Sakura shook her head, putting her arms between them to create distance._

_ "Why?" He asked entertained._

_ "I hate snakes." She hissed venomously._

_ "Are you scared of them?" He smirked._

_ "No! They are just slimy and gross and slithery and just disgusting!" Sakura stuck her tongue out childishly._

_ "Then what are you afraid off?" He asked quietly as he watched her carefully._

_ "…death." She murmured looking down at her hands. "Just the ending of life, something so beautiful and bright." She blinked a little bit before looking at him and tilting her head to the side. "What about you?"_

_ "…absolute isolation." He whispered. "There is nothing and no one around. Just complete darkness."_

_ "You don't have to worry about that because you have me at least." Sakura mumbled with a small blush as she looked up at him shyly._

_ "And you don't have to worry about death because I won't let that happen." He vowed with a hint of a smirk as he pulled her closer to him. _

_ Sakura grinned. "Now favorite food!"_

* * *

**Hello! Thank you all for reading and the wonderful reviews! You all are amazing! See you next time and please review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Warning: This is a Vampire/High School AU. There will be some occasions of OOCness. **

**For Kayla, you are the best.**

**Special thanks to Kishimoto for the fifteen years he has been in my life. Naruto will always have a special place in my heart. It has taught me so much and I am sad to see it end, but understand that all great things must come to an end at some point. Just because it is over, doesn't make it any less special. Thank you. **

* * *

Silence filled the youngest of the last Uchiha's car as he sped down the road at a blinding and highly illegal speed. His knuckles were strained white with his vice grip on the steering wheel. He clung on it to dear life like it was going to make his car move any faster. For whatever reason, Sasuke felt nervous. The quicker he got to Sakura, the sooner the nervousness would ease away.

Naruto sat in the seat beside him fiddling with his hands, not quite sure what to do. Every now and then, he was tempted to mess with the CD player but as always thought not. The Uchiha only ever had to one CD in the player and no one dared to mess with it, which said something about the CD since the Uchiha Sasuke had never even remotely liked music. The CD wasn't even playing and he would never play it. He just left the CD in the player as a reminder.

Neji, sitting beside Shikamaru in the back, looked out the window. He had a vague idea where they were going but Sasuke didn't confirm anything. Neji felt a strange sense of guilt, like everything that was happening was his fault. If he had just been strong, nothing would ever have happened. If he didn't have any desire to prove Itachi wrong, he would never had gone to that party which would get him on Tenten's trail, Naruto on Hinata's, and Sakura having to put herself out where she clearly didn't want to be. If he hadn't just been so fucking selfish, but now he was going to make amends by saving Sakura. He just hoped that was enough to wash the guilt and regret he felt.

Shikamaru was on his cell phone, drumming his fingers on the outside of the hard plastic case, trying to get a hold of the pinkette with no avail. He was the only one to have her number and it was for emergency uses only, as she had clearly stated when she gave it to him three years prior. Apparently, he was the most trusted out of the four of them, and Shikamaru inwardly took great pride in that, but how was he supposed to contact her for help if she wasn't going to pick up on the sixth call? Something must be wrong, and that worried him greatly. He didn't want another dead girl on their hands. Not after he had grown fond of her too.

Shikamaru didn't have to say anything for the others to know what this meant. Sakura didn't have much of a life anymore so the only reason she would be unavailable was an unpleasant thought in all their minds. This realization only make Shikamaru call again, Neji frown deeper, Naruto fiddle more, and Sasuke push fifteen over his current illegal speed.

Sasuke reached the parking lot of the famous Konoha Park in record time. He skidded to a stop next to the only car in the deserted parking lot. A beat up Elantra, more accurately, Sakura's beat up Elantra. There was no sign of the pinkette anywhere.

The four quickly exited the car and followed the Uchiha through the park as he half stomped-half ran towards where he thought she might be. Shikamaru continued to call in some last resort hope that she would pick up. Naruto stopped in his tracks suddenly and they all stopped and watched as the blonde bent over to examine something in the grass.

"What is that?" Neji asked as he kneeled before Naruto to see what had caught his interest. Nestled in the grass, was a cell phone with nine missed calls from 'Nara Shikamaru'. Neji picked it up and glanced at Shikamaru who pocketed his phone with an ill look on his face.

"We better hurry." Sasuke hissed as he sped up his pace through the park and towards the lake. He knew she would be here; it was the only place she went besides school, her own home, and the occasional errand for Itachi.

Naruto was hot on his heels. "Do you think she is okay?"

No one answered. Grim thoughts were floating through all their heads.

"Maybe she just dropped it!" Naruto exclaimed optimistically as he always was in these situations. He had to be when he was the only optimist in a group of pessimistic assholes.

Again, no one said anything. The only thing close to a response was Sasuke speeding up as he pushed past the bushes and made it through to the clearing by the lake, disappearing from the other three's sight.

Sasuke froze as his eyes landed on the sight before him. Half in the freezing lake, Sakura laid face down in the grass, still as stone. Sasuke raced over to her and kneeled by her side. Bite marks marred every inch of her skin which was turning into an ashen color in contrast to her stone white complexion. He quickly turned her over. More bite marks covered her visible skin. Dark circles surrounded her closed eyes and her lips were turning a faint blue color. She was cold, colder than she should have been. She wasn't moving a muscle as Sasuke's shaking hands slowly tried to shake her awake. Sensing that waking her was futile, Sasuke slowly and carefully collected her in his arms, careful not to hurt her in anyways, not that she would do anything. She was out cold.

"What happened?" Naruto asked, appearing by his shoulder, looking down at the pinkette in worry. Neji and Shikamaru came around his other shoulder and looked down at the injured girl.

"We need to get her to Sasori." Shikamaru followed as they cautiously maneuvered back to the car. "Those look like snake bites."

Sasuke stiffened at Shikamaru's words. _Snake bites? No, it can't be him…could it?_ Has Itachi's snake problem gotten so bad that he is lashing out at Sakura for Itachi's attention? Sasuke didn't want to think about what the next step was if this was his first warning.

"Hyuga, drive." Was all Sasuke grunted as they reached the car.

Neji nodded his head silently and got into the driver's seat. The rest filled up the car, Sasuke carefully holding Sakura in his arms.

Neji pulled out rapidly as sped back towards the Uchiha house easily doubling the speed limit.

* * *

The three girls sat in silence. Ino and Tenten had just finished explaining to Hinata what had happened over the past couple of weeks while she was blinded by her honeymoon phase of her relationship with Naruto.

Hinata sat numb, not sure which topic to address first; the fact that her friends were clueless with what they were messing with, the fact that Tenten needed her all this time and she was basically useless, the fact that her old friend was associating with her boyfriend and his friends, or the fact that there was a dead girl that led back to her boyfriend and his friends.

"I know this must be a lot for you." Tenten wrapped her arm around Hinata.

"N-Not just for me." Hinata shook her head, looking at Tenten with saddened eyes. "I wish I-I had known sooner a-and that I could have done something t-to help you."

"There is nothing you could have done." Tenten shrugged. "And I am dealing with it."

"I taught her self-defense!" Ino waved her hand from the foot of Hinata's bed, where she had cocooned herself in blankets and pillows.

Hinata smiled at Ino's triumphant announcement although knew that self-defense would be rather useless again this mysterious stalker if he was as dangerous as she was imagining, especially with her knew found knowledge of mysterious creatures existing. Who knows what it could really be. She was worried about Tenten. She also began to wonder if Naruto was hiding something much darker from her.

"Yeah and a great deal knowing that stuff will do me." Tenten shook her head. "Anyways, we thought you needed to know this, all of this. Those guys are dangerous."

"Even Naruto, because no matter how silly or dumb he is, he is still one of them." Ino added.

"We just want you to be safe." Tenten gave Hinata a warning look. "You let me know if that little freak is doing something to you."

"Yeah!" Ino shouted from the other side of the bed. "It's already one thing for Tenten to go through that shit with her stalker, but not you too with Naruto."

"I can't imagine N-Naruto-kun doing anything like that, or any of his f-friends from what he has told me about them." Hinata stated rather confidently, although she wasn't too sure with the news her friends had presented.

"What has he said about them?" Ino asked as she climbed off Hinata's bed, ran to the desk to grab paper and pen, then back to her huddle of blankets and pillows. "If we are going to figure any of this out, we might as well start taking notes." Ino answered their confused looks. "I'll be record-keeper; my hand writing is the prettiest." Ino smiled like a pageant queen.

"T-There isn't much to say." Hinata shook her head, not sure how much she could tell without betraying either of them or Naruto.

"Anything will do." Ino crawled over to the two girls. "We need to get character and background summaries to get a good idea with what we are dealing with."

Hinata bit her lips and looked over at a silent Tenten who was looking off into space. "W-What do you t-think?"

Tenten snapped out of her daze. She blinked at looked between the two girls. She knew Ino wanted to help and that Hinata was a brilliant source of information but she didn't want to drag them both down this dangerous rabbit hole that she was dancing around the edge of ever since she had spoken to Kankuro.

"Come on, you can't shut us out know." Ino muttered. "We aren't letting you figure this out alone, not after you told us about Temari. That's not fair. We aren't the type of friends that are just going to let you go." Ino stated as she started heating up. "I'm not losing another friend, not like Sakura."

Silence fell over them all as Ino glared at them both. Tenten made her decision. She needed them and they would figure this out together. Hinata also found her resolve that she would help. She didn't want to lose them like they had already lost Sakura. It was already too painful, she wasn't sure if she could handle it if someone close to her went through anything like Temari went through. But she also made her decision to get to the bottom of this with Naruto.

* * *

"Well, Hozuki, it's been a tough couple of months but it looks like you are finally ready to be discharged." Suigetsu's nurse exclaimed. It was his last night there and the next morning he would be free to leave. "You must be excited to get back to your family and friends. Oh! And that cute little red head that comes and visits you." She smiled knowingly.

Suigetsu gave the nurse a grim smile and waited for her to leave. He wasn't going to wait until the next morning like the doctors had intended. He had bigger and better things to be doing and time was of the essence. He didn't want to listen to this nurse's stupid ramblings for another minute. Fuck, he wanted to kill her just to shut her the hell up.

As soon as the door was shut behind her, he quickly threw the sheets off him and begun to haphazardly remove wires. Machines began to beep loudly in protest to his ministrations so he shut them down before any of the nurses would be alerted. He didn't need to be interrupted as he made his great escape. He had been planning it so long as just a dream and it would finally be a satisfying realty.

He grabbed his clothes from the chair and changed as he begun to dial his cellphone, typing in the very familiar number.

"Hey, babe." He smirked to himself knowing the displeased look on her face without even seeing it.

_"What the fuck do you want, Suigetsu?"_ Her voice whispered angrily. He had probably woken her up and she didn't want to wake up her dad. It was the middle of the night after all.

He kept smirking without falter. "You, of course."

_"Don't make me come to that damn hospital and beat the shit out of you!"_

"Or we can just meet half way." Suigetsu said as he swung open the window he had been dying to open for too long now. "And skip the beating."

_"…you're getting discharged? It's the middle of the night."_

"Close, but not quite." Suigetsu investigated the drop down to the ground. He was on the fourth floor but there was a nice tree not too far away that would help him get down. "I'm escaping."

_"Are you a fucking idiot? Wait, of course you are! Why are you escaping? No, why are you escaping and then calling me to tell me about it?"_

"I'll tell you if you give me a little kiss when you meet me." Suigetsu grinned as he climbed out the window and jumped onto the tree, still holding the phone.

_"In your dreams. My heart will never belong to you."_ She said coldly and with finality in her voice.

"Yeah, yeah, but it will never belong to who you want to give it to." Suigetsu snarled. "So are you going to meet me?"

_"To be your fresh out of the hospital call girl? Fuck no."_

Suigetsu jumped the rest of the way down and landed lightly on his feet. "Babe, I'm serious."

_"Don't call me, babe. I'm not going to fucking meet you."_

Suigetsu rolled his eyes agitated. "Karin, just get Jugo and meet me at my place." He snapped as he hung up on the girl. Damn, she could be so fucking annoying, but he knew she would do as he says. She always did.

* * *

Sasuke watched from the doorway of his room as his brother's redhead friend stood over Sakura, inspecting her bites. She was laying on Sasuke's bed, growing paler and paler, which seemed already impossible considering how pale she normally was. The redhead, Sasori, began to dig through a wooden chest he had brought up with him. Inside were vials and bottles of different color liquids.

He continued to dig before turning around and giving Sasuke a cold glare. "I'm not going to hurt her. You can leave." He stated with no emotion.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "No." It was simple and to the point but Sasori didn't remove his gaze until a voice behind Sasuke spoke.

"Let him stay, he is only worried about her." Itachi spoke as he put his hand on Sasuke's shoulder.

Sasuke pushed Itachi's hand of him and glared at him. "What are you doing here?"

"Naruto told me what happened. Just like you, I am worried." Itachi stated as he looked at the girl from the doorway.

"You should be." Sasuke hissed. "She is like this because of you."

"I didn't tell her to go there."

"You didn't have to make her interact with them."

Itachi nodded his head. "I didn't though. He found her on his own. There was little I could do."

"Just give the snake what he wants." Sasuke snapped.

"I can never do that." Itachi replied.

Sasuke growled lowly and turned back to the pinkette on his bed. "You don't do shit, Itachi."

"She will be fine." Sasori spoke as he pulled out a bottle. "All she needs is a small dose of this and she will be just fine in a few days or at least fine enough to talk. It will take a while for the venom to fully leave her body."

Itachi ruffled Sasuke's hair and quickly walked away before his brother could protest. "See, she will be just fine."

Sasuke watched his brother disappear with fiery eyes. His brother didn't care about Sakura's wellbeing, or anyone's for that matter, and that only just pissed him off more. He looked over at Sasori who was collecting his things and getting ready to exit Sasuke's room.

"I assume you will be watching over her until she wakes." Sasori sighed. "If anything happens, send one of your fools."

With that, Sasori left leaving Sakura and Sasuke alone. Sasuke walked into the room, closing the door behind him. He pulled up his desk chair to the side of his bed and watched Sakura.

She was already healing but she wouldn't be okay for a couple of days and even after that, who knows how long it would be for her to be back to 'normal'. And Sasuke would wait. Anything that was going on with Neji's Tenten problem or Naruto's slipping of the secret problem or even the snake problem could wait. At least until Sakura was awake.

* * *

"So, who do we start with?" Hinata asked nervously as she watched Ino scribble on her note pad. Tenten sat in silence watching with an uncharacteristically dull look on her face.

"The asshole." Ino stated simply.

"U-Um?" Hinata looked at Tenten for clarification.

"She means Nara Shikamaru." Tenten offered quickly. "They got in some little spat a while back and now she is obsessed with making sure everyone knows how much she hates him."

Hinata nodded her head, smiling at Tenten's explanation that was short, yet to the point and explained very much. "N-Naruto-kun says that he is like a super genius."

"I highly doubt that." Ino rolled her eyes but wrote it anyways.

"He is just lazy." Tenten shrugged. "He is in my calculus class. I sit next to him and he knows all the work but he never writes anything down. He actually is usually asleep."

"So he is good at math, big deal." Ino muttered darkly before giving Hinata a gesture to continue.

"Um, Naruto-kun a-also said that he is the d-dull one and is always tired." Hinata gave the girls an awkward smile. "S-Sorry, I'm not s-sure if any of this is v-valuable."

"No, don't worry!" Ino quickly exclaimed. "It all is. We might need this. Anything else?"

Hinata shook her head. "N-Not much else, I-I think that he is the o-one that keeps them all in c-check though."

Tenten nodded her head. "Last time I saw Neji, before we got here, he was the one to call Neji away. I guess that's what you mean, right?"

"Great." Ino murmured, clearly not pleased with not finding more incriminating stuff on them. "Let's just move on. We got a lot of dirt of Neji! Let's do him next."

Tenten and Hinata looked at each other waiting for the other one to start. Hinata smiled and went first, willing to spare Tenten of having to repeat it all so soon again.

"Naruto-kun s-says that he is always serious a-and boring." Hinata shrugged. "N-No funny business kind of person. He always r-reprimands Naruto for being s-silly." Hinata blushed. "Either him of S-Sasuke."

"No!" Ino yelped. "Sasuke is next, don't get ahead."

Tenten rolled her eyes and urged Hinata to continue. "Just keep going."

Hinata nodded her head slowly before biting her lip. She wasn't sure how much she should say without ratting out Naruto but decided to bite the bullet with this one. "N-Naruto said he is the w-worst with c-control."

Tenten snapped her head over to Hinata. "Control with what?" Ino also perked her head up from her notes and watched Hinata closely.

Hinata blushed nervously and started to shake. "I-I don't k-know. L-Like with rage?"

Tenten nodded her head. She could remember a few times he beat of fellow students. "She's right."

"M-Maybe that's what he m-meant." Hinata nodded her head and she wasn't lying. It was true, but just not the whole truth. "N-Naruto said he is also really s-smart."

"Great so we have two super geniuses." Ino grumbled, becoming more displeased by the second.

Tenten sighed. "He has a big temper problem, remember when he crackled Lee's skull?"

Hinata's eyes widened. "But L-Lee is annoying."

Tenten gave Hinata a pointed look. "Would you do that if Lee was bothering you?"

Hinata fell silent. Ino took this opportunity keep them on track. "Let's just move on to Uchiha Sasuke. Naruto and him are close, right?"

Hinata nodded her head. "T-They have known each o-other for a long time."

"That's good." Tenten offered, clearly feeling more comfortable with any topic that wasn't Neji. "What does he have to say about him?"

"W-Well," Hinata frowned. "They used to get along p-pretty well and him and Sasuke would d-do stuff together but he is d-different now. S-Sasuke apparently got all dark and q-quiet. He was always like that b-but Naruto says it is much w-worse."

"I wonder what happened." Ino wondered out loud.

"It was a g-girl." Hinata offered vaguely.

"Temari?" Tenten suggested but Hinata shook her head.

"N-No. She is still alive from what Naruto told me but t-things are awkward between them. Something b-big happened and now they are both d-different." Hinata stated.

"What if it was Sakura?" Ino grimly joked. "I mean she is different too."

"Yeah, if she ever spoke to him, which she hasn't." Tenten offered. Tenten paused. "Although Kankuro did say he saw Sakura with them at the park a few times."

Hinata jumped in. "T-The park is h-huge; I doubt they were there t-together." Naruto would have told her if her old friend was hanging around him anyways.

"Probably." Ino deadpanned. "It was a joke, by the way." She explained pointedly at Tenten. "They probably don't know the other exist. I wouldn't really take Kankuro's word for it. He is kind of messed up." She pointed to her head as a silent explanation.

"N-Naruto said that Sasuke a-and this girl still are a-around each other." Hinata sighed. "He w-wouldn't tell me who t-though."

"You have to find out. She might know something about them or what happened to Temari." Ino commanded.

Hinata winced. "I-I'll try." She wasn't really sure Naruto would tell her. It wasn't her business or his for that matter, but she would try, for her friends.

"Anything else?" Tenten asked, moving them away from that topic.

"U-Um, he has a b-brother." Hinata listed off. "He and h-his brother don't get a-along. U-Um, Sasuke is kind of in c-charge of the other three. Oh, h-he is also really s-smart like Neji and Shikamaru."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Ino snapped. "Are we dealing with teenage boys or evil masterminds?"

"Don't worry Naruto evens it out." Tenten smirked before giving Hinata an apologetic look. "No offense."

"Any dirt on your boyfriend?" Ino asked with a dark look.

"H-He is kind of different then all of them." Hinata said. "He is a-always happy and o-optimistic."

Ino wrote it down. "So he is like the puppy of the group?"

"I guess." Hinata shrugged.

Tenten sighed. "I think we have talked about this enough." She reached over and grabbed Ino's note pad. "Conversation over."

"Now what are we supposed to do?" Ino grumbled.

"Talk about normal things." Tenten stated. "Like school or gossip or anything really, not this." She turned to Hinata. "Can we spend the night, it's pretty late. Actually, it's nearly three in the morning."

"G-Go ahead." Hinata nodded her head.

"Thanks."

* * *

Karin didn't have much going on that night. It was one of the few nights she had nothing to do and was perfectly fine with it. That is until her loser neighbor called her and now she was seated in his kitchen with his thug brother and his friend Jugo.

"So, my little bro is escaping?" Mangetsu asked. He and Suigetsu were very similar in appearance, both having the standard Hozuki white hair, violet eyes, and shark teeth.

"I guess." Karin shifted uncomfortable on her barstool at the counter. "He just called me a few minutes ago."

"He is going to get in trouble." Jugo mumbled.

"Nah, they won't care about a punk like him." Mangetsu grinned, eyeing Karin hungrily. "I still don't know why you are here though. I thought you hated him."

"I do." Karin zipped up her jacket. Their kitchen was freezing, plus Mangetsu's lecherous eyes were making her shiver.

"Then why are you here?" Jugo asked.

Karin honestly didn't know why. She was only going to get sexually harassed by the two Hozuki brothers, yet here she was, ready to endure it. "He sounded serious on the phone." _At least at the end of the_ _call_, she thought to herself.

"So you do care?" Jugo asked with the same curious expression he always wore.

"No." Karin narrowed her eyes. "I just want to know what he wants then beat the crap out of him."

Mangetsu grinned at Karin's words. "I'd like to see that."

The front door opened and slammed in a matter of seconds and Suigetsu walked into the kitchen. His eyes brightened upon seeing Karin and Jugo waiting for him like he asked but his eyes narrowed upon seeing his older brother.

"What are you doing here?" Suigetsu hissed accusingly.

"I live here." Mangetsu stated bluntly before more lecherously adding, "Besides, you shouldn't keep such pretty ladies from me."

"I'm not." Suigetsu growled lowly. "She lives next fucking door. Now leave."

"Can't I be concerned?" Mangetsu asked.

"You never are."

Mangetsu shrugged. "Fair enough." He walked passed Suigetsu, lightly bumping shoulders with him before turning around. "I'll be up in my room if you need me." He winked at Karin before disappearing.

"Sorry about that." Suigetsu muttered, sitting down across form Karin and Jugo.

"He is entertaining." Jugo nodded his head ignoring the disgusted looks Karin and Suigetsu were making.

"Why am I here?" Karin rolled her eyes.

Before Suigetsu could say a word, Jugo jumped in. "I thought we established it was because you care."

Karin gave Jugo a quick hard punch on the shoulder. "No, we established that it was because I _don't_ care."

"Lovely." Suigetsu rolled his eyes. "Look, I just wanted to offer you both a business opportunity." Upon seeing Karin's confused look and Jugo's curious eyes he continued. "I got offered a job with lovely benefits and I'm sure my employer can make it all our while as well. We can all get what we desire, and more." He grinned as he began to explain his business proposal to his best friend and…well…Karin.

* * *

_Sakura frowned. She hated lying in bed and for such a long time. It was truly one of the worst things she could imagine someone going through. Just sitting there with nothing to do._

_ Getting sick and tired of sitting around, she slowly began to sit up before two strong hands pushed her back down to a lying position. _

_ "Don't move." Her boyfriend muttered._

_ Sakura rolled her eyes. "I'm fine." She managed to get the two words out before a quick succession of sneezes came and then followed by thunderous coughing._

_ He raised his eyebrow pointedly. "Just fine, right?"_

_ "Fine enough to move around." She slapped her hands against his bedding in protest, much like a child would._

_ "You won't get better that way." He stated factually. _

_ "You don't know that. You aren't a doctor. I'm not going to get better with you sitting there watching me." Sakura pointed to her boyfriend just sitting before her watching with dark eyes._

_ "I'm making sure you don't do something stupid." He shrugged. "Besides, you are in my bed."_

_ "Per your request!" Sakura exclaimed. "I just want to interact with someone."_

_ "You are." He smirked. "Me."_

_ "But you are boring!" She exclaimed. "I interact with you all the time anyways."_

_ He frowned. "Then who do you want to interact with?"_

_ "Is Temari here?" Sakura grinned. After meeting the bold blonde they formed a nice friendship._

_ Her boyfriend chuckled. "She is busy."_

_ "With what?" Sakura frowned._

_ "She is doing a special form of interaction with her…uh…special friend." He put delicately. _

_ "Again?" Sakura groaned. Temari was always doing that._

_ "Yeah." He smirked again. "So you are stuck with me, unless you have someone better in mind."_

_ Sakura frowned. Everyone in the house was either busy with someone else or creepy. "I guess you will do."_

_ "Glad to see you are willing to settle for me at least." He rolled his eyes as he grabbed a bottle of water and handed to his grumpy and very sick girlfriend._

_ "Oh, don't be such a baby." She accepted the water and drank from it. "You know I love you and all that junk."_

_ "All that junk?" He asked amused._

_ "Yeah, that junk is all you're baggage." Sakura shrugged._

_ "My baggage? What about yours?"_

_ "Don't have any! I'm an open book." Sakura grinned. "You aren't. You keep secrets."_

_ "You'll know in good time." He leaned back in his chair._

_ "I want to know now." Sakura crossed her arms._

_ "And spoil the ending?" He replied sarcastically._

_ Sakura grinned. "Good point."_

_ "I always have them."_

_ "I know." Sakura smiled, closing her eyes._

_ "And Sakura?"_

_ She lifted one eye lid and looked at him. "Yeah?"_

_ He sighed and looked the other way. "I love you too."_

* * *

**Hello! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Suigetsu, Karin, and Jugo are going to have the focus shifted on them a little more now that a good portion of the story is under way. **

**I just want to say thank you again to all of you who read the story! (You people give my story life, literally.)**

**Also, a special thanks to all of you who review and favorite-follow the story! (Keeps me on track with my writing and motivates me.)**

**Until next time, and thank you all again. **


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Warning: This is a vampire/high school AU. There will be some OOCness. **

**For Kayla!**

* * *

"Are you sure this is the place?"

Jugo, Karin, and Suigetsu stood out by the docks on the side of the highway a little ways from town looking around. They had spent the whole night at Suigetsu's making plans, arrangements, and requests for when they meet their 'employer'. Suigetsu had filled them in on a brief version of the plan that he had received. They were going to get more details today.

They were told to meet at Dock Eleven at noon which was exactly where they were, waiting for someone to show up.

"I'm sure." Suigetsu reassured Karin, who had decided to come along despite what Suigetsu assumed. He was happy about this although he would never tell her. He needed someone to talk to besides Jugo. He loved the guy but sometimes he was just so clueless.

"Are you sure you aren't being pranked?" Karin asked as she leaned against the pillar. "You are kind of an idiot."

Suigetsu narrowed his eyes. He wasn't sure why he endured this just to be around her. "I'm positive."

"Do not worry, Miss, you are not being pranked." A soft voice whispered behind them.

Standing there was Kabuto, the man that had broken into Suigetsu's room. He waved at them happily with one hand, in the other he held a small rolled up bundle.

"So, it's true?" Jugo asked.

"Of course it is." Kabuto smiled as he brushed past the three teens. "Come along, we need privacy for this.

In silence, they walked to the end of the dock to a small wooden sailboat with a cabin. The sails used to be a deep royal purple and were now faded and pale with holes. The sailboat looked in bad shape and probably hadn't been taken care of or out in the sea for a long time. The name of the boat was Hebi and was painted in gold on the back. It was quite fitting for its owner, the snake.

They climbed aboard and were then ushered down below. There was a small table in the center that they all sat at waiting for Kabuto to continue. The galley was tight and small but they all managed to fit inside as Kabuto closed the door to the outside world. It was dark but their eyes soon adjusted with the help of the light leaking through the ceiling.

"Shall we begin?" He asked as he unrolled his bundle, revealing three syringes.

"Is that going to hurt?" Karin asked as she inspected the needles from a distance. She wasn't too fond of the idea of being injected with a strange material by a strange man in a very strange boat.

"No. But you do know that you can't go back once you start." He eyed Karin challengingly. "You have to decide now. You still have time to leave. The door is right there." Kabuto gestured to the door they had just come from.

Karin bit her lip and looked between the two boys beside her. She had known Suigetsu since she had moved next door and Jugo soon after that. She might not have always liked them or been the best of friends with them but she still cared deeply for the two boys and she wasn't about to let them do this without her. Besides, if this man can really give her what he promised, she wasn't about to go back. She was willing to do anything.

"I'm not leaving." She crossed her arms stubbornly.

"Good." Kabuto smiled. "Who wants to go first?"

Suigetsu set his arm on the table. "I will." He said readily, surprising Jugo and Karin.

"Excellent." Kabuto grinned as he readied the syringe.

* * *

Sakura groaned as she slowly began to wake up. She felt sore all over and tired. She could barely open her eyes and she was half tempted not to. Wherever she was, it was quiet, warm, and soft. She didn't want to get up. It felt so comforting.

Her eyes slowly began to flutter open but everything was blurry and spinning that she snapped them shut so her world would stop spinning so quickly. She furrowed her eyebrows, eyes clenched shut. She focused on the comfortable bundle she was in and breathed in. It smelt good and familiar. Like home, if she had one.

She was slowly beginning to piece her surrounds together, trying to figure out where she was but it all instantly hit her as a very familiar voice stirred her.

"Sakura? Are you up?"

Her eyes snapped open and froze as she saw the last person she wanted to ever be around sitting inches from her. She closed her eyes as it all crashed down on her. He must have found her and brought her back here. Sasori probably figured out what was wrong with her and healed her and now she was resting in the last place she ever wanted to be.

She could hear the chair he was in creak as he leaned back in it. She remained still. He knew she was up and she knew he knew that but neither one of them were going to speak, at least not first.

"Oi, teme." A 'quiet' whisper echoed across the room. "Is she up?"

"Yeah, dumbass." Another bored voice sighed like it was too much effort to speak those two words.

"She is! Sakura-chan!" The first once started exclaiming.

"Shut up." A cold emotionless point barked, belonging to the last member of the group.

"Don't tell me to shut up, Neji!" A high pitch squeal snapped back.

"Will you just be quiet?" The tired voice groaned.

"Make me Nara-Baka."

"Uzumaki." The closest and most painful voice in Sakura's ears spoke again. "Enough."

Silence fell across them all and Sakura was beginning to feel nervous and fidgety as she forced herself not to move.

"We should probably tell your brother she is waking up." The bored voice sighed along with a shuffle like he was getting up.

"And puppet boy." The cold voice stated. "He needs to finish checking up on her."

"Come on, Naruto." The bored voice sighed.

"I want to stay he-" He was cut off probably by the cold voice dragging him out of the room as the door open and slammed shut.

It was quiet again and the chair creaked again as the person leaned forward in it. "Sakura."

She didn't respond, still pretending to sleep.

"I know you are up."

She childishly stayed still. It was very similar to how she used to act.

"Really?" The voice asked insulted by the fact that she thought she could trick him.

Sakura's eyes fluttered open, landing on the man in front of her. She stayed silent but glared at Sasuke all the same.

He sighed and leaned back in his chair. His eyes never left hers but they weren't cold like she was used too. They were tired and worried which made Sakura's stomach drop.

"Itachi and Sasori are probably on their way. I'll leave when they come if that's what you want."

Sakura didn't say anything but Sasuke knew the answer; she wanted him as far away from her as possible. She wanted to be out of that house as quickly as possible.

They sat in silence as they broke eye contact. Sakura looked down at the black blankets wrapped carefully around her and Sasuke started up at the still ceiling fan. They sat like that until the door opened and five bodies rushed in.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto grinned as he rushed to her side. "Are you okay? Do you feel sick? Tired? Hurt? Who did this to you? Oh, I am going to kill whoever did this to you!"

"Naruto." Neji's hand clenched painfully onto Naruto's shoulder. "Give her space." He pulled the blonde back, letting him be replaced by the red headed Sasori.

He silently worked as Itachi spoke. "Are you okay?"

Sakura nodded her head, not eager to speak.

Itachi, understanding her position, nodded his head. "When you are ready we will speak more detailed." He left afterwards soon followed by Sasori who cleared Sakura.

Sakura was about to get up when Shikamaru spoke. "You scared everyone."

Sakura nodded her head. "I know."

"You also dropped this." Neji reached into his pocket and pulled out her phone.

Sakura grabbed it with shaky fingers. "Thanks."

She slowly climbed out of the bed but Naruto stopped her. "You can lay here for a bit until you feel better." Naruto smiled. "Teme left so…"

Sakura stood up weakly regardless. "I'm fine." She hissed as slowly left the room.

"That went well." Shikamaru sighed as he sank into Sasuke's empty chair.

"Did you expect something different?" Neji rolled his eyes.

"No." Shikamaru looked at his watch then over to Naruto. "Weren't you supposed to meet Hinata ten minutes ago?"

Naruto, who was still looking at the empty bed jumped up. "Shit! Shit, shit, shit!" He raced out of the room, leaving Shikamaru to sleep and Neji to meditate in silence.

* * *

"How often does he come here?" Ino asked as she was ushered out of the house by Hinata.

"Every day." She answered rather bluntly. "N-Now go! Before F-Father notices."

"Does your dad even know you sneak him up to your room?" Ino asked grinning wickedly.

"N-No. Now p-please leave. I-I'll call you guys t-tonight when he leaves." Hinata pleaded.

"You mean _if _he leaves." Ino smirked before exiting the doorway.

"Bye Hinata." Tenten followed out. "Have fun, but don't forget to ask about _you know who_."

Hinata nodded her head and waved them off. She still wasn't sure how she was going to ask or if she could even ask.

She didn't even really have time to think about it as she raced back to get room and locked the door behind her. Naruto was going to be there any minute.

She spent most of the time waiting, cleaning everything up and tidying her room. She had a late start but it looked like Naruto was also running late. She was interrupted from her cleaning with a knock on her window.

She whipped around to see him grinning and waving. She raced to open the window and let him in. They kissed sweetly before sitting on her bed.

"Sorry, I was late." Naruto grinned sheepishly as he laid back.

"Y-You're fine." Hinata waved him off. "I-I was just cleaning and- O-Oh, give m-me that!" Hinata yelped as she ripped the notebook full of Ino's notes from Naruto's hands. It must have gotten lost in the blankets during the night.

"What is it?" Naruto sat up trying to reach for it.

"N-Nothing!" Hinata squealed as she moved it way from her boyfriend's greedy hands. "Just s-stupid s-stuff."

"I like stupid stuff!" Naruto grinned, clearly not sensing the panic in his girlfriend's voice.

"I-I know." Hinata set it behind her. "B-But it is nothing, I-I promise." Naruto nodded his head and Hinata changed to subject. "W-Why were you r-running late?"

Naruto stiffened. "A lot of stuff."

Hinata's eyes filled with worry, "Like?"

Naruto turned and grinned. "Nothing, I just-" He was interrupted by his phone chirping. "It's teme."

He opened it and read the incoming message.

_Itachi is holding a meeting tonight. You need to be here by seven. Don't be late and don't tell Hinata anything. I still haven't told Itachi about you spilling. Idiot._

Naruto closed his phone and turned to Hinata. "It was nothing."

Hinata nodded her head although she did not believe Naruto. His face was void of its usual happy expression and had been replaced with a stoic mask. Naruto noticed Hinata nibbling at her lip and fiddling with her fingers nervously. Maybe he could just vaguely tell her…

"One of my friends got injured last night." Naruto confessed.

Hinata's head snapped up. "A-Are they okay?"

Naruto grinned, that's what he liked about Hinata. She was always concerned about others, regardless who they were. "Yeah, it's all good. She is going to be just fine."

Hinata nodded her head. "G-Good." She waited a moment before asking. "Do I-I know her?" She wasn't even sure if she was the girl Sasuke was _involved_ with, but any information was good information.

Naruto looked at Hinata and gulped. He didn't like lying to her but he didn't want to hurt her. Sakura didn't want to talk to Hinata or her other friends for a reason and Sasuke already made it clear not to tell Hinata anything so Naruto would lie just this once.

"No, she is one of Sasuke's older brother's friends." Naruto shrugged. It wasn't completely a lie. She was more friends with Itachi than Naruto or Sasuke. Wanting the lighten the tension in the conversation, Naruto quickly reached behind Hinata for the notebook before she could even realize what he is up to.

"N-Naruto-kun w-wait-" But Naruto didn't hear the rest as he looked down on the notebook. There were four names on the paper followed by words and phrases.

_Nara Shikamaru: Asshole (fuck him), susceptible to lung cancer (I give him ten years left), needs an attitude adjustment (maybe puppy therapy, something to make him smile damnit), 'super genius' (yeah right), lazy as fuck (That one actually seems true), good at math (dork), likes to sleep (who doesn't?), dull (yes), tired (probably), most trusted? (highly unlikely, dresses like a slob), keeps others in check (how? He is always sleeping!), probably too lazy to kill someone but you never know anymore (4/10 a killer)_

_Hyuga Neji: Serious(ly boring-hahaha), boring (been there done that), no-funny-business (doesn't have a funny bone in his [hot] body), fun police (kills everything that's fun), worst at control (aggression, rage, temper?), aggressive (beats up Lee all the time), possible (probable) psychopath, temper problem (tantrums? Haha), another fucking 'super genius' (howwww?), probably has killed many women in a past life (really wouldn't put it past him) (8.5/10 a killer)_

_Uchiha Sasuke: Close to Naruto (why and how and what?), dark (and brooding-yum), quiet (probably has a girly laugh), worse than before girl (who is girl?), did not kill this girl (yet), has brother (doesn't get along with brother), leader of group (who would listen to him?), 'super genius' as well (are you fucking kidding me?), maybe a killer?(actually, definitely a killer) Fits the profile of a killer(so the killer), (9.9999/10 a killer)_

_Uzumaki Naruto: Hinata's boyfriend (they are too cute!), stupid sometimes (sorry Hinata if you are reading this), happy (__**all**__ the time), optimistic (not sure how when he hangs out with depressing people), different from the rest (obviously), probably not a killer (couldn't kill a fly), probably an actual puppy though (that's actually kind of a cute image, little puppy Naruto…awh) (-1000/10 a killer)_

Naruto looked up at Hinata confused. "What is this?"

Hinata shook her head, refusing to look at her boyfriend. "J-Just a l-list I-Ino made."

Naruto froze. "You didn't tell them, did you?"

Hinata snapped her head up. "N-No! N-Naruto-kun, I w-wouldn't do that."

"Then why does it keep talking about killers and murders?"

Hinata bit her lip. She wasn't sure what to say. She couldn't tell her boyfriend that her friends thought that he and his friends were capable of murder but she also knew that they very well were capable of murder. Plus what Kankuro said kept haunting Hinata and maybe if she was a little honest with Naruto he would be back…but what if he didn't want her to know, he might just lie. She would never know.

"Hinata…" Naruto whispered. "Do you think I killed someone?"

Hinata didn't move a muscle. She thought her next sentence out carefully. "D-Do you r-remember T-Temari, the girl w-who died?" She looked up to see Naruto not looking at her.

Naruto froze as soon as Hinata mentioned Temari. However, she found out about her Naruto couldn't tell her the truth even though moments ago he promised himself he wouldn't lie anymore, but he couldn't tell her, even if he wanted to. He promised.

"Kind of." Naruto replied. "I know she went to our school and we did that school funeral." Naruto responded truthfully, just not completely. Hinata nodded her head and Naruto readied himself for the next lie. "We had nothing to do with her death, I promise." Naruto inwardly curse. He shouldn't have promised but he didn't want to lose Hinata. Was this was it was like when Sasuke lied?

Hinata nodded her head with a sigh of relief. She quickly hugged her boyfriend. "I'm s-sorry."

Naruto wrapped his arms around the girl he loved and clenched his eyes shut. "I know me too." He whispered back sadly.

* * *

Tenten and Ino began the walk home. Ino, who hadn't slept at her own home for at least a week decided it was time to go back, plus there was school the next day. Tenten waved her goodbye and turned towards her own home where she would barrack herself in.

She was kind of nervous going home alone, even with Ino's self-defense techniques under her belt. She wasn't sure what her stalker was up to but she hoped he wasn't around.

Tenten turned into her neighborhood to see a familiar red head walking toward her. He was talking intensely on the phone and carrying what looked like a bag of groceries.

He looked up, his pale jade eyes landing on Tenten and he quickly hung up and made a beeline over to Tenten who wasn't ready to talk to him.

"Tenten." He greeted.

"Hello, Gaara." Tenten nodded her own greeting, looking past him. Her building was just in view and she was ready to go home.

"So Kankuro told you everything, right?" Gaara cut right to the chase.

"I believe so." Tenten shifted from one foot to the other.

"And you told the blonde one and the shy girl?" Gaara narrowed his eyes.

Tenten nodded her head. "Ino and Hinata." She corrected.

Gaara rolled his eyes. "Stay away from those guys."

"You're brother already told me this." Tenten told him, hoping he would leave her alone.

"Probably, but he didn't tell you this. They killed her." Gaara stated like he was saying the grass was green.

Tenten swallowed. "I gathered that, you're brother implied it."

"But he doesn't have proof." Gaara pointed out.

"Do you?" Tenten crossed her arms.

"No." Gaara pointed at Tenten. "You do."

Tenten's mouth hung open for a moment before she caught herself. "I don't know what you are talking about."

"Yes, you do." Gaara interjected. "You and that Hinata have direct relations with those creeps."

Tenten paled. "Excuse me?"

"Hinata and Naruto are dating." Gaara rolled his eyes before pointing his finger at Tenten again. "And you and Hyuga Neji are _involved,_ right?"

"No." Tenten spat out. "We aren't."

Tenten pushed past the anger red head, ready to be free of this conversation. If she wasn't thinking about it, she was talking about it and she was getting sick of it.

"If you want answers, just ask them about my sister. They might be able to lie to me, but not you." Gaara muttered.

Tenten turned around. "Why me?"

Gaara smirked grimly. "Hyuga is soft for you."

* * *

Ino watched Tenten disappear before making a complete 180 and back tracking to Hinata's. She had no intention of heading directly home and putting this whole mystery to bed for the night. She still had some more snooping. Plus, the sun was still out, she didn't need to be home and her paper could wait. She was going into spy mode.

Ino wasn't sure why, but she went to the convenience store she had first seen Nara in. It seemed like as good of a place to start as any, but unfortunately she came up with nothing, regardless she was not going to give up. She checked every store and alley on the street and the next over. She found nothing. She even combed through Hinata's neighborhood in hopes she would just run into one of them, but she found nothing.

Just when she was about to give up, she saw him. She couldn't believe her eyes or her luck, even though she had been looking for two hours. Regardless, there he was, walking out of a two story house in an ordinary neighborhood. Following him was white haired man who was swinging around a butterfly knife. The two were talking in low conversation before the white haired guy stalked back into the house.

Nara than walked down the street instead of driving, luckily for Ino. Ino followed behind, careful to stay a few houses behind him. Even though her legs were weary, she trekked on. She found him, she wasn't about to lose him.

And so she followed him…for more two hours. He wasn't even doing anything suspicious! He was window shopping for two hours, smoking more and more cigarettes. Ino watched this boy go through half a box before throwing the whole thing away. He paused and then turned around and looked towards Ino. She luckily ducked before a shop but could still hear him call out to her.

"Are you just going to follow me for another two hours or do you want to accompany me into the store for another pack?" Shikamaru spoke in a normal, even tone but Ino knew it was for her and curse.

She was tempted to stay where she was but moved into his sight regardless. "Caught me." She shrugged. She walked past him and into the store, waiting for him to follow her.

Shikamaru followed her in and watched her go down one of the isles. "Are you going to tell me why you were following me?"

Ino paused, looking between two bags of chips before picking up one and turned to him. "How about you tell me how you caught me, and I'll think about telling you." Ino smirked happily before trotting off and sighing inwardly as she bought herself some more time to think of a good excuse.

Shikamaru turned down the next isle and leaned against it. "You're shoes are very noise on a quiet street."

Ino looked down to her small heels and shrugged. "They are fashionable." She then looked through the candies before plucking a few. "Do you want any?" She asked with a smile before walking off not waiting for an answer.

Shikamaru, again, found himself following her. "Now, tell me."

"Come on, super genius!" Ino grinned. "Figure it out."

"Super genius?" Shikamaru questioned.

Ino winked. "That's what they call you."

"Then they also say I'm quite lazy so go ahead and tell me."

Ino stopped at the refrigerators, looking through the frosted glass. "I don't know. You're cute."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Really now?"

"No." Ino deadpanned making a disgusted face. "But I guess I see the appeal." She reached into the refrigerator and picked up a Dr. Pepper.

"You still aren't answering my question." Shikamaru sighed, growing tired of this as they stepped into line, Ino in front of him again.

"And you still aren't getting the fact that I'm playing coy."

"Coy about what?"

Ino paused and shrugged. "You think of something now."

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes. "You just decided to follow me on a whim."

"You got it, bucko!" Waved as she went up to the counter.

Shikamaru followed hot on her heels as the man began to ring her up. "That's bullshit, and you know it."

"So figure out what's true, genius." Ino retorted before turning to the man. "My boyfriend will pay for this." She smiled before walking off, leaving Shikamaru speechless with an annoyed convenience store employee.

Shikamaru quickly paid for her groceries and his cigarettes. He walked out of the store and stood there blankly. She was gone.

Ino had left as soon as she got out of the store. She had not expected to get caught. She had done her fair amount of stalking in her life (in her defense, it was all intel related and nothing creepy) but this was the first time she got caught. She wasn't even being risky. Something was up.

She only slowed her pace when she made it home and was safe inside her room. She still couldn't shake the feeling that she had been followed as well.

* * *

Itachi sat in his darkened room with a small letter in his hands. It was a taunting letter about what the Snake had done the previous night to Sakura, his subordinate. He should have seen it coming. Orochimaru wasn't someone who was just going to sit idle by when Itachi refuses his requests. He should have known he would have taken sever actions, and Sakura got hurt.

Itachi sat mustering over what had happened when he heard a soft knock on the door. Before he could even let them in, the door opened and a slim figure slid in.

"Sakura." Itachi nodded his head to the foot of his bed for her to sit.

Sakura sat down quietly looking down at her shaky hands. "How much longer before I am fully recovered?"

"Sasori isn't sure. It could take a few days, maybe a week or perhaps a month. It's hard for him to say without any knowledge on what Kabuto did to those snakes."

"I see." Sakura looked up from her hands. "So you want to know what happened." She stated more as a sentence than a question, staring at him with unmoving eyes.

"I'd like that." Itachi nodded his head, prompting Sakura to continue.

"Nothing really went on. He found me, threatened you, me, everyone, and then attacked me." Sakura shrugged indifferently. "He said it will be much worse if you don't give in to what he wants."

"He isn't going to get what he wants." Itachi stated rather threateningly.

Sakura nodded her head. "So what are you going to do about him?"

Itachi didn't speak for a long while, calculating the best course of action. He would never give in to Orochimaru but, on the other hand, if he didn't do something quick, he was going to end up with a lot more casualties.

"Gather everyone downstairs." Itachi sighed. "We need to let them know everything."

Sakura nodded her head and began to leave the room. Just as she touched the door knob, Itachi spoke again.

"He is the one who found you. He carried you back and watched over you, never left your side."

Sakura didn't turn back to look at Itachi and didn't say a word as she opened the door and left, going to find all the members of the house to gather them in the basement.

* * *

Shikamaru, Neji, and Sasuke sat in his room in utter silence. Sasuke was in his desk chair looking out the window in deep thought. Neji leaned against the wall with his eyes closed. Shikamaru, rather than being asleep like normal, sat with a bag of groceries beside him frowning.

The three boys had been sitting there for about half an hour in their own little worlds. These worlds were shattered by a knock at the door. Sasuke torn his eyes away from the window and looked up at the door. Without saying a word, Neji pushed from his spot in annoyance and opened the door, per Sasuke's silent demand.

On the other side of the door was Hidan, playing with his ever present butterfly knife. Seeing the door open he pocketed it and grinned at the Hyuga.

"Sup, kid." He grinned wildly at Neji. "Keeping in check?" Without giving Neji time to even react, Hidan pushed his way past Neji. "See you've already fallen into one of your moods, huh, Uchiha?"

Gritting his teeth, Sasuke managed to speak. He never liked Hidan and found his annoying and obnoxious, like Naruto, but in a very dislikable way. "What do you want?"

Hidan grinned. "She gets to you that much? You know, forgot her, move on to a little religion I like to-"

"What. Do. You. Want." Sasuke bit out each word.

Hidan stopped in his tracks and waved off Sasuke. "I'm not really here for you." He turned and looked over to Shikamaru. "You and I, on the other hand, have some interesting business."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes in confusion while Neji watched in curiosity as Shikamaru nodded his head. It was an odd sight to see Shikamaru and Hidan talking with each other. Shikamaru didn't care much for any of Itachi's friends but everyone knew the two of them clashed. Perhaps it was different personalities, or perhaps they had shared a mutual interest.

"So, what did you find out?" Shikamaru asked.

"Not a whole lot. She's pretty hot though." Hidan grinned with mature implications before moving on. "She kept taking notes and after you two met, she ran off. I followed her to her house. That's all."

"Notes?"

"Yeah, on her cell phone. Bullet points." Hidan smirked, pleased with himself.

"What are you two talking about?" Neji demanded.

"Your little deer boy is getting stalked by some hottie."

Shikamaru sighed tiredly. "It's quite troublesome really."

"Who?" Sasuke asked.

Shikamaru rubbed his face. "Yamanaka Ino."

Neji raised his eyebrows. She was friends with Tenten and used to be Sakura's best friend from what he remembered. He looked over at Sasuke to see him staring off into space with a deep frown. Whatever Ino was up to, it wasn't good.

Before anyone else could continue the conversation the door opened.

Sakura frowned at the sight before her. Hidan was grinning like a mad man, Neji looked interested in something that probably was not good, Shikamaru looked worried which meant he cared about something, and Sasuke was moodier than usual. Their heads all snapped to Sakura, all carrying the same expression, guilt.

She rolled her eyes. "Itachi is holding a meeting in the basement." She turned to Hidan. "Tell Kakuzu and Zetsu to be there and anyone else who might be outside." She then turned to Sasuke and addressed him. "Make sure Naruto gets here on time."

She then turned around and disappeared from sight.

* * *

_"Sakura!" He called as he bashed his fists on the door to _his_ bedroom. His idiotic girlfriend locked herself in there and refused to come out. She could hear her sobs from behind the door. It made his stomach clench painfully knowing he caused this pain._

_ "Go away!" Sakura yelled from inside the bedroom and she curled up on his bed. Tears were streaming down her face as she covered her ears from the yells of the man on the other side of the door._

_ "Open the door." He hissed. He was going to get in there one way or another. Hell, he was considering breaking down the door._

_ "I don't want to talk to you anymore." Sakura sobbed. _

_ "Sakura." He barked._

_ "Just stay away from me!" Sakura cried._

_ "You're in my room." The man rolled his eyes. Sometimes he didn't know why he put up with her. She was just so annoying._

_ "Leave the door, so I can leave the house then!" Sakura sniffed as she wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand._

_ "I drove you here!" The man reminded her._

_ "I'll walk!" Sakura yelped determined._

_ "Sakura! It's the middle of the night!" The man reminded panicky._

_ "I'll hitchhike! All I got to do is lower my shirt a lit-"_

_ "You will do no such thing." The man snarled, interrupting her._

_ "You are not in control of me! Just go away." Sakura sobbed. "I don't want you near me ever again!"_

_ There was a pause before the man, in a very small and sad voice said, "Okay, Sakura."_

_ Sakura listened as the footsteps walked away from the door. She sat there, hugging the pillow to her chest as seconds turned into minutes and minutes turned into hours. _

_ All was silent during that time until a knock broke the spell._

_ "I said, 'go away!'" Sakura cried. When she heard no voice or movement, curiosity got the better of her. She stood up and quickly padded to the door. She skeptically opened the door slowly. She gasped at the sight._

_ Before her was a small tray filled with sliced apples and a little bowl with peanut butter. Sakura had made the same thing for him a while back as an apology and she couldn't help but smile at his kindness, despite the argument they just had. Sakura looked up from the tray to the man who sat across from the door, leaning against the wall. He looked hesitant and worried. He watched her; afraid she might start another volley of yelling and sobbing._

_ Tears fell down Sakura's face as she tackled the man. Her arms wrapped around his mid-section and she nuzzled his chest. After a moment, the boy wrapped his arms around the distressed girl and rubbed small circles on her back to sooth her. _

_ "Are you really sorry?" She whispered self-consciously._

_ "I really am." He murmured back into her pink locks._

_ "Me too." Sakura admitted. "I just get emotional when I'm on my per-"_

_ "I know, I'm sorry." The man cut her off. He just wanted the two of them to forget the silly argument and just rest together._

_ Sakura couldn't help but smile. No matter how cold he tried to be, he was a sweet mushy guy inside. Together, the two sat there in each other's arms, argument well forgotten. And the man knew that it was times like these, when they were simply together, were the reasons he put up with her annoying pink headed self._

* * *

**Hello! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter!**

**Again, I just want to thank you all for your reading, reviewing, favoring, and following (and everything else) of this story. It really means a lot to me as a writer. **

**Anyways, Thank again, and please review :D Until next time. **


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Warning: This is a Vampire-High School AU. There will be some OOCness.**

**For Kayla.**

* * *

Suigetsu loved the water. It had always been a part of him and his family. They had always taken trips to the ocean side when he was younger, but that stopped long ago. He wasn't sure what the attraction to the liquid was, but the one thing about the water he didn't like was the smell. He hated the smell of sea water especially. That salty, fishy smell would always choke him and it was one of the only things to give Suigetsu goose bumps of disgust.

So when Suigetsu woke up with a throbbing head ache and that retched smell of sea water, he about lost it. He choked on the disgusting air and looked around to find himself still in the haul of the Hebi sailboat. It was dark and hard for his eyes to adjust to the dim light as he gasped and heaved on the nasty air.

Kabuto was nowhere to be found and the cabin was dark. He squinted his eyes and they rapidly adjusted to the light to find himself still seated at the table. He couldn't remember what had happened after he had been injected with that needle but he must have passed out because he hadn't moved a muscle, or so it seems.

Suigetsu looked beside him and blinked in surprise. Karin was passed out with her head resting on the table and Jugo was gone. Suigetsu watched Karin and noticed that she was as still as stone. She didn't seem to be breathing for her chest was not moving. Worry filled him as he reached over to touch her and she was as cold as ice. He pleaded with himself to not think the worst as he held his breath.

"Karin?" He shook her shoulders as his stomach dropped. "Come on, Karin. Get up." She still didn't stir and Suigetsu shook her shoulders harder as the fear settled in his stomach. "Please tell me you are fucking with me!" When she didn't move, Suigetsu removed his hands shakily, fearing the worst. "No…" He gasped. "K-Karin, please…oh fuck please, Karin." He whispered to himself as he stroked her hair with an unsteady hand and pulled at the ends. He was not prepared for this… she can't be... "Oh Karin…" He removed his hand in disgust and held them over his eyes, blocking his view of the girl. "What have I done?" He yelled to himself as his fingers dug into his skull, yanking his hair sharply.

"Sui…get…su?" He heard a faint whisper, almost so quiet that he thought it was the breeze, but he allowed himself a look at the girl to see her shift slowly.

Warmth flowed through Suigetsu as he lunged at the girl and pulled her as close as he could to himself with a deathly grip. "Oh, thank god." He whispered into her hair in a rather affectionate way.

"Suigetsu?" Karin muttered confused as she slowly gathered her thoughts and got her bearings straight. She was warm, all over and surrounded by a lovely fresh water smell despite being in the cold haul of a boat on a salt water dock. It was when she felt comforting hands rubbing her back and hair that she froze. She looked up to see Suigetsu's dark eyes looking down at her. "What," She asked before putting her hands on his chest and pushing him away from her, "That fuck do you think you are doing?" She hissed.

Suigetsu couldn't help but grin at her. She hadn't changed at all. "Good, you're up."

Karin's eyes widened appalled. "Were you taking advantage of me?"

Suigetsu's eyebrows furrowed. "No! I thought you were dead."

Karin's face contorted into one of disgust. "So you fondled me because you thought I was dead?!"

"What?" Suigetsu jumped at her accusations. "No! Karin, what the fuck?"

"No, _Suigetsu_, what the fuck?" Karin crossed her arms.

Suigetsu rolled his eyes. Even though he was relieved she wasn't dead, he was wondering if this was a better alternative. "I don't have fucking time for this." He stood up. "Now, are you going to help me find Jugo?"

Karin blinked, instantly looking around for their orange haired friend. "Where is Jugo?"

Suigetsu rolled his eyes and grabbed Karin's hand to pull her through the cabin to the door. "That's why I asked you if you were going to help me _find_ him. I don't know where he is."

"When did you wake up?" Karin asked as they got to the deck of the boat.

"Like a minute before you did. Why?"

"Well, that means Jugo can't be too far." Karin reasoned. "He was the last to be injected so he must have just gotten up."

"Well, let's find the fucker. And where the hell is that Kabuto?" Suigetsu frowned as he leaped from the boat to the dock and began to search the docks with Karin hot on his heels.

* * *

The Uchiha basement was deadly silent as everyone sat there waiting for Itachi. His usual armchair was absent of him as everyone was filling in around it. Sasuke was sick of the sight of this godlike warship of his brother and even sicker that he was forced to participate in it. The only reason he wasn't acting out was because on the couch seated next to Kisame and Tobi was Sakura who was watching him carefully, like she was waiting for him to snap. He chose to ignore her demeaning gaze. She thought he was going to act out, rightfully so, but still. He didn't like her cold judgment, especially when it was pointed at him.

Beside him was Shikamaru and Neji but no Naruto which was putting him on more edge. He had texted the idiot but he still wasn't here. He had half the mind to go to that little Hyuga's house and drag his idiot friend out but he remained leaning at his spot on the wall.

Sakura watched Sasuke coldly. Naruto was still not here and luckily for Naruto, Itachi was still upstairs. Sakura still couldn't help but feel pissed at Sasuke for not having a better handle on his best friend but Sakura knew all about crazy best friends. She quickly shook thoughts of her own blonde friend out of her head. She wasn't allowed the think of such things so her mind went to the next topic: Sasuke's rescue.

She still couldn't help but wonder why. Was he really feeling that guilt? If so, good. He should be. He ruined lives. Sakura couldn't help but feel such hatred for the boy and even his friends who really had nothing to do with it. Sakura was just filled with hate anymore. All the love she used to have in her had been wiped clean and replaced by cold, almost tangible hate.

She continued to watch him, silently cursing him and wondering when the hell Naruto would show up. Itachi held meetings often, Sakura thought it was because he liked the attention and self-importance he got from them but this one was serious. Out of all the meetings Naruto needed to be at, this was the most important.

The door to the basement opened and Sasuke and Sakura both whipped their heads around at astonishing speeds and both inwardly cursed as Itachi closed it behind him and slowly made his way to his chair. He sat down and looked at everyone individually, making note of everyone there and noticed a particularly loud blonde missing from the group.

"Where is Naruto?" Itachi asked his eyes on Sakura.

Sakura opened her mouth to speak but Sasuke cut her off before she could utter a single syllable. "He is on his way." Sasuke said. _I think_, he added silently.

Itachi sighed clearly not pleased with this but it was better than Naruto getting into more unnecessary trouble. "Fine, we will start without him."

Everyone subconsciously leaned in closer and listened as hard as they could not to miss a word of Itachi's soft speech. This was important and they needed to catch every word.

Itachi began and everyone stopped breathing not to miss a word. He talked quietly on purpose as a way to keep everyone else quiet. They would have to be silent to hear everything he had to say meaning they wouldn't have room for them to talk amongst themselves without him knowing it and he liked that.

"I have some grave news that some of you are already aware of. It is about-"

The door at the top of the steps leading out of the basement slammed open against the wall, making everyone wince. "I'm here!" A loud voice followed as the goofy blonde stomped down the stairs thunderously, ruining the air of importance Itachi had been building.

Everyone turned to watch Naruto as he grinned to himself. "Did I miss anything?" He looked at Itachi earnestly.

Itachi stayed very still and looked at Naruto without blinking, unnerving the blonde. "For once, no. Please take a seat." He gestured to the chair beside Sasuke. He waited for the blonde to go to where he was directed and sit quietly watching Itachi like everyone else. "Now, as I was saying, I have some grave news that some of you are already aware of…"

* * *

Ino was great at many things but technology was definitely not on that list. She had been trying to hook of her webcam to her computer for hours with no avail. She had plans to video chat Tenten and Hinata that evening but that wasn't going to happen if she couldn't figure out how to turn the damn thing on!

After another ten minutes of trying to mess with it, followed by fifteen minutes of her _and_ her father trying to figure it out, she finally gave up and called Hinata who gave her a step by step procedure on how to do it. After following Hinata's instructions to the note she finally got picture and was greeted by the shy but smiling face of Hinata and the classically amused face of Tenten.

"Really, it took you that long?" Tenten laughed as Ino brushed her off.

"I'm more of a social person, not a social recluse. I don't have time to figure this stuff out; my boyfriends usually do it for me." Ino turned her head away from her computer in a very dignified way.

"Anyways," Tenten rolled her eyes at Ino's antics. "How did it go with Naruto?" She asked Hinata.

Hinata bit her lip and looked down at her keyboard. "H-He found t-the list."

Tenten narrowed her eyes at the left side of her screen that was taken up by a blushing blonde. "I thought you were supposed to take that."

"I forgot!" Ino exclaimed. "I was basically thrown out! I didn't even have my necklace!" She pointed to her bare neck.

"D-Don't worry I-Ino, I have it." Hinata showed the necklace to her camera. "I f-found it on my n-nightstand."

"Oh good!" Ino grinned, clearly forgetting the more important issue on hand.

"What about the notebook?" Tenten brought them all about it the real discussion.

"W-Well, he was wondering what it w-was and w-why it had all those things about his f-friends." Hinata explained, "And I-I asked him about T-Temari but he didn't even s-seem to know who she w-was."

"Are you sure he wasn't lying?" Tenten frowned.

Hinata was taken aback by Tenten's question. She never even considered the possibility that Naruto could be lying to her. "I-I don't think so." She murmured.

"Regardless, did he say anything else?" Ino asked curiously.

Hinata shook her head. "N-No, not really."

"Did you ask about the girl?" Ino fired away.

"N-No!" Hinata squealed. "It w-wasn't the right time!"

"He was over there all day!" Ino groaned, "How was there not a right time?"

"He found the note book." Tenten easily defended. "It would have seemed weird for Hinata to bring that up right after finding that. Even you can admit that is odd."

"Well, you both are useless, and here I am putting my ass on the line." Ino grumbled to herself.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Tenten hissed. She was already paranoid with Gaara and Kankuro harassing her and Naruto and Hinata growing closer and closer, she didn't need Ino doing stupid shit on purpose.

Ino blinked before pointing her nose in the air, "I did a bit of recon."

"A b-bit?" Hinata asked.

"On who?" Tenten pressed.

"That asshole."

Tenten grabbed her little hair buns in each hand in frustration. "Why would you do that?"

"To see if he was suspicious!"

"D-Did you find a-anything?" Hinata ask genuinely curious.

Ino frowned and crossed her arms. "No, I got caught."

"What the fuck?" Tenten snarled.

"It wasn't my fault!" Ino defended sharply.

"Of course it is your fault!" Tenten fired right back.

"I was just trying to get information." Ino tried to defend

"B-But you f-found nothing." Hinata muttered.

"Not this time!" Ino exclaimed.

"You can't do this again." Tenten tried to reason. "You got caught once already."

Ino sighed. "So? I won't get caught again, I'll wear better shoes."

"W-What?" Hinata asked confused by the mention of her shoes having to do anything with it.

"You won't do that again." Tenten demanded. "If we spy on these guys, we have to do it secretly and at common places like school or something."

"It was at the supermarket we met at before." Ino grumbled even though she understood Tenten's point. "I just want be able to get information on these guys like Hinata can with Naruto and like you can with Neji."

Tenten stiffened at Neji's name but Hinata quickly intervened. "I-It's not like t-that, besides, if he f-finds out what you are u-up to then we're…"

"Screwed?" Tenten filled in.

"Y-Yeah, that." Hinata nodded her head.

"Fine." Ino sighed. "At least we can start digging some stuff on them tomorrow at school." Ino shrugged. "I have three classes with Naruto, one with Neji, one with Sasuke, and two with the asshole."

"I have two with Naruto-kun, two with Neji, one with Sasuke, and one with Shikamaru." Hinata offered.

"I only have one with Naruto, luckily one with Neji, four with Sasuke, and three with Shikamaru." Tenten listed off the names and numbers.

"So tomorrow we start?" Ino grinned.

"Y-Yes." Hinata smiled.

"Sure." Tenten sighed.

* * *

Karin and Suigetsu searched the entire docks with not a single trance of Jugo. There was no sign of Kabuto either. There were only two options of where they could have gone, towards the town via highway or the pine forest at the other side of the docks, opposite of the parking lot. Both teens were at a loss of what to do.

"Maybe he went back to the car." Karin wiped the sweat from her forehead. It was the dead of night and they had been searching for two hours.

Suigetsu sighed. "Maybe." Although he highly doubted it.

The two began to walk to the car, the echo of their shoes on wet cement the only sound in the air. They reached the parking lot and found it void of any life. The only thing actually in the parking lot was Suigetsu's purple dodge neon. Again there was no sign of Jugo or Kabuto anywhere.

"Now what?" Suigetsu wondered aloud.

"Maybe we should just ditch them." Karin mumbled.

"And leave Jugo?" Suigetsu raised an eyebrow.

"What do you want to do Suigetsu? Search for another five hours? What about your brother, he will be worried." Karin reasoned.

"Bullshit." Suigetsu muttered, but saw Karin's point and let out a tired sigh. "Come on, I'm starving."

Karin nodded her head. "Me too, plus this place is creeping me out."

Suigetsu grinned. "Scared? Don't worry, you can hold on to me if you get scared."

Karin rolled her eyes. "Fuck you."

"Any time, day or night." Suigetsu sang as they walked towards his car on the far side of the lot.

Karin looked around nervously. There was a weird feeling in the air. Like there was things on the sides of the parking lot where the lights didn't reach. She didn't like the shadows and the air they were giving off. It honestly freaked her out.

It was then she saw it. It was just a flash but standing on the far side of the lot was a burly figure. Karin froze and blinked but in an instant it was gone. Fear shook her as she ran up and grabbed on to Suigetsu's arm. He looked down and grinned.

"Shut up." She murmured. "There is something out there. I saw it." Karin warned.

"It was probably a glare on your glasses." Suigetsu poked the black frame. "But cling on to me with whatever excuse you want."

"I'm serious." Karin whispered, in fear of making so much noise. "I think there is someone out there."

"I bet there is." Suigetsu shrugged. Karin stared at him a long moment, prompting him to explain. "Well we haven't seen Jugo or Kabuto, have we?"

"No, but if it was one of them, wouldn't they come?" Karin asked more scared than confused.

"I don't know, that Kabuto guy is weird and you know how Jugo is, he is not always there, you know. If he wants to come, he'll show up, otherwise he can take care of himself."

"I guess."

As soon as Karin finished her last word a low growl sounded across the parking lot. Karin and Suigetsu froze and looked at each other.

"What was that?" He asked paranoid.

"I told you." Karin whispered, tightening her grip on his arm. "Something is following us."

"Then let's run." Suigetsu hissed as he grabbed Karin and began to run but she stopped him short.

"What if it chases after us?" Karin shook. "Maybe if we walk slowly it will be safer."

"Don't worry," A new voice called from behind. "You'll be fine."

Both teens turned around quickly as they gasped at the sight.

It was Kabuto, but he looked absolutely terrible even though he seemed perfectly fine when they had last seen him a few hours previously. His white hair had fallen free from his ponytail and his glasses were broken, the glass was actually missing from one lens while the other had deep cracks. They hung on his face in a crooked manner, but he didn't either seem to mind or notice. His clothes were torn and dripping with mud and blood from open wounds on his shoulder and chest. Small cuts run over his face and exposed parts of his body.

"Kabuto?" Suigetsu's eyes widened.

"What happened to you?" Karin gasped.

"Nothing too bad." Kabuto shook off. "Your big friend didn't _handle_ the toxin as well as you two, which I am pleasantly surprised by." He smiled.

"Jugo…did that to you?" Suigetsu choked.

"Yeah, but don't worry. He is here now." Kabuto looked around. "How are you two feeling?"

"Normal?" Karin said confused, looking down at herself to see if there were any physical signs.

"Good." Kabuto muttered to himself. "Very good."

"Why would Jugo do that to you?" Suigetsu asked frowning. Jugo was always so calm and peaceful. He had never seen even a hint of annoyance on the boy.

"He didn't react well with the toxin."

"That stuff you gave us." Karin clarified.

"Yes."

"I thought the shit was supposed to make us stronger." Suigetsu frowned. That's what Kabuto had told them. _This will grant you more strength and ability than you could ever hope for._

"Oh, it does." Kabuto gestured down to himself. "It also kills you."

Karin and Suigetsu paled. They had not known that part of the deal. They would never have risked their lives for something like this. Suigetsu just wanted revenge and Karin just wanted a chance at love. They never wanted to die though. Not for this.

"We are going to…die?" Karin choked out as tears threatened to spill.

Kabuto stood before them and frowned. "Kind of. You already died. I just brought you back to life."

Karin and Suigetsu shared a look before Suigetsu spat at him. "You are fucking crazy."

"No, I'm not." Kabuto smiled. "I'm brilliant."

"How can you do that?" Karin narrowed her eyes in disbelief.

"The toxin I gave you. It kills you, but it adds a stronger, more durable protein into your DNA and preserves it, bring you back to life." Kabuto explained briefly. "It's a bit more complex than that but the point is you are going to live a very long time now and be stronger than ever, but at one cost."

"What's the cost?" Suigetsu asked, not believing a word of the mad man.

"Blood." Kabuto sighed. "That's what you'll eat now."

"You are fucking crazy." Karin snapped.

"Am I?" Kabuto smirked. "You can feel it now, can't you? Deep hunger, but you don't know for what, right? It's because you've never had what you craved before. Here." Kabuto reached into his pockets and pulled out two Ziploc bags of blood. He handed it to them both but neither of them took it.

"Whose blood is that?" Suigetsu asked appalled as he pulled Karin back with him.

"Mine, I collected it earlier while you were dying." Kabuto explained carefully.

Karin was about to vomit. "You are disgusting and crazy. Suigetsu, we need to get out of here-" Suigetsu didn't hear a word of what Karin said, his eyes trained on the blood. Even as she called his name, over and over again, she still couldn't reach him as he grabbed one of the baggies and opened it.

Suigetsu was hit with the smell of blood. He could already smell it off of Kabuto but this high concentration in the Ziploc was too much for him as he poured it down his throat. Karin watched horrified, backing away from Suigetsu. She couldn't believe her eyes.

When he finished the bag he looked up at Kabuto. "What did you do to me?" He felt better than ever before…what Kabuto said was true, but it was still hard for him to wrap his head around. He didn't even think when he had drunk the blood, his body moved on his own.

"I made you a vampire." Kabuto grinned, clearly pleased with the results. "An artificial one, of course, but one never the less. I told you I'm brilliant."

"Suigetsu…" Karin stared in clear shock.

Suigetsu turned to look at the stunned girl. "Try it."

"No!" Karin stepped even further away from Suigetsu. "Get away from me!"

"Karin." Suigetsu raced up to her at an alarming speed and held on to her shoulder's stopping her in her tracks. "Trust me."

"No!" She slapped him away from her. "You are just as crazy as him."

"Don't worry, Suigetsu, she'll come around." Kabuto put his hand on Suigetsu's shoulder as Karin watched him. "We still have Jugo running around the pine forest."

"What's wrong with him?" Suigetsu asked hoping for a more specific answer.

"Simply, he has gone mad." Kabuto sighed. "Something went wrong in his head with the venom."

Suigetsu nodded his head. "So what needs to be done?"

"Can you calm him down?" Kabuto asked.

"I'll try." Suigetsu started off towards the pine forest.

"You are crazy!" Karin yelled as she watched her stupid and insane neighbor walk off with a crazy scientist who claims to have killed her.

She soon found herself alone in the parking lot. No sure what to do, she found herself following the two craziest people in her life. She prayed for her life and was hoping it was all a dream.

* * *

Itachi wrapped up his long winded speech and explanation on the current situation between him and the snake. There was only one small detail that he would not relay to the rest of his peers and that was what Orochimaru desired. If they knew, it might wreak the fragile system he has in place and he couldn't ruin that. It would destroy everything he was trying to protect. His friends and allies would turn on each other in an instant, he knew that. In the end, they were all willing to throw each other under the bus if it meant protecting themselves. He managed to have them all cooperate, but it didn't mean they were going to put their lives on the line for each other.

"Shit." Kisame sighed before turning to Sakura who was seated beside him. "I guess we finally found someone who can actually fuck you up."

Sakura didn't respond except for her eyes narrowing in distaste.

"Why not just murder the fucker?" Deidara asked, clearly annoyed.

"It's not the simple." Itachi sighed. "He has a hierarchy over there. If we knock him down…"

"Another one jumps in his place that is just as annoying, if not worse." Neji hissed.

"So what are we going to do?" Naruto asked kind of worried. He didn't realize all this shit was going down while he was lost in his own world with Hinata. It made him feel guilty.

"We need to all get on the same page, which we aren't." Itachi gave Naruto a knowing look. "We all have to be honest. If there is even a small hiccup, Orochimaru could take advantage of that weakness and destroy us and all we have worked for."

Silence fell over them as Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Naruto, waiting for him to speak. Surprisingly, Shikamaru spoke up instead.

"A small issue." He clarified upon seeing the worry in Itachi's eyes. "I've seemed to have acquired a stalker."

"The fuck?" Deidara choked before cracking up but was silenced by a punch from Sasori.

"What do you mean?" Itachi asked.

"It's nothing big, one of our classmates. She was following me earlier, I led her around town acting as normal as possible." Shikamaru sighed. "But we should keep an eye out on everyone."

"Who?" Naruto asked clearly interest. "If she goes to our school we should keep an eye on her and who she hangs out with."

Shikamaru looked over at Sakura was almost apologetic eyes. "Yamanaka Ino." He confessed.

Sakura didn't move a single facial muscle; keep the same calm look like she had been taught to do. Her exterior was completely still and calm but inside, her heart clenched tightly at the name. Not only did she have many memories and feelings surrounding the girl but to hear she was digging into this stuff worried Sakura.

Naruto, unlike Sakura, paled at the name. "She is friends with Hinata." He gulped remember that list from earlier.

"And Tenten." Neji nodded his head.

Itachi sighed, not liking what he was hearing. "So this group of girls is on to us."

"They think we are up to something." Shikamaru rubbed his temples. "I just don't know what."

"Temari." Naruto murmured.

Shikamaru froze and stared at Naruto upon hearing the name. "Excuse me?"

"Hinata mentioned her earlier. I said I didn't know anything but they think we had something to do with her…yeah." Naruto coughed awkwardly.

Itachi closed his eyes. He was really not expecting this. He was really worrying as more cracks in his perfect group were forming, ones that would be easily seen by the snake.

"What about the other girl?" He finally asked, looking at Neji.

"I saw her yesterday for the first time in two weeks and she mentioned that she knew we were dangerous, that was about it." Neji grimaced.

"No more specifics?" Itachi asked, clearly readying himself for the worst.

"No."

"Good." He sighed. "How much have you told you're girlfriend Naruto?"

Naruto blinked, fearing Itachi knew he spilled the secret. "W-What do you mean?"

Itachi picked up on his nervousness and narrowed his eyes. "Naruto, did you tell her what we are?"

Sakura's eyes widened as she stared at Naruto's guilty face. Her old friends were never supposed to know this stuff. The reason she left them behind was because there was nothing for them, being friends with someone like her. They would only get hurt, but it looked like fate had different plans.

Naruto looked down sadly. "I just didn't want to lie." He murmured quietly.

Itachi got up from his chair. "You four," He gestured to Sasuke, Naruto, Shikamaru, and Neji, "Will be staying here until further notice."

"What about school?" Neji questioned.

"I highly doubt that really matters to you." Itachi stated coldly. "You four won't leave the house with my authorization or accompanied by myself or Sakura." He didn't really like locking up the boys permanently but after what they did, he had to figure out what to do to fix everything. "As far as contact," He looked dead straight at Naruto. "I don't want you contact any of them."

Naruto nodded his head sadly, he should have known this was going to happen, but iy didn't mean he still wasn't sad about it. "Understood."

"Good," Itachi directed his attention. "The rest of you, stay in as much as possible. It will be crowded here but until we figure this out, no one should leave." Sakura lifted her head up, looking at Itachi. "Except for you, Sakura." He amended. "I need you to keep an eye on the girls and I can trust you not to get caught and be able to read them from afar."

Sakura nodded her head, pleased that she didn't have to stay in the Uchiha house but otherwise miserable with all that was happening. It looked like plans for her great escape were going to be delayed even further.

"Now, everyone get some rest and we will regroup in a week with a plan." Itachi then stalked out of the basement and up the stairs leaving everyone in silence.

Slowly, Itachi's friends made buzzing conversation, discussing what had gone down that meeting, with the snake and the four younger boys' issues. The four boys in question quickly escaped the basement to the first floor. As they went to go up to the second floor, a cold hand wrapped around Naruto's wrist and yanked him down the stairs causing him to fall onto the floor.

The culprit was Sakura who kneeled in front of him with glowing eyes. Sakura held Naruto pinned down with a knee resting in between his legs as insurance. Naruto gulped in fear as Shikamaru, Neji, and Sasuke stayed on their steps watching. It was an odd sight to see Sakura interacting with them, especially Naruto because the only reason she ever talked to them was when they were in trouble and Naruto never got in trouble with Sakura. He was her gold boy in a very loose sense. Naruto just made sure never to piss Sakura off and often succeeded. It was also an odd sight to see her with such energy and emotion.

"S-Sakura-chan!" Naruto cried, clearly terrified with this meeting. "W-What's going on?"

Sakura carefully calculated her words as she watched Naruto squirm in her grip. "Did you tell them about me?"

Naruto blinked and quickly shook his head no. "Absolutely not!" He knew what would happen if he did. She would kill him, plain and simple.

Sakura watched his eyes, gaging the truth in his words and eventually found them satisfactory and let him go, standing up and turning to the other three on the stairs dully.

Shikamaru spoke up. "Yamanaka doesn't know anything either." He scratched behind his head.

Sakura nodded her head and made her way out of the Uchiha house, leaving the four boys watching her in a mixture of fear and nervousness. Just general uneasiness.

* * *

The past four hours were the craziest in Karin's life. She now find herself sitting in her neighbor's car with his best friend past out in the back seat and a Ziploc bag resting on the center console of the car. It was deadly silent in the car. Karin didn't know what to do but mess with the long cut she had gotten from trying to tame Jugo.

"Kabuto told me a way to heal that, you know." Suigetsu glanced away from the road to her cut.

Karin shook her head, clearly not wanting Suigetsu to be any closer to her then he already was. The only reason that she was in the car to begin with was because Suigetsu had promised to just drop her off at home and never speak to her again. He was hesitant to accept but he didn't want to leave her at the docks alone. "Just take me home."

Suigetsu sighed. "I am, it's just a long drive. You know that."

Both fell silent for a bit long. Suigetsu was not pleased with how everything had gone today. Not only had he died and became an artificial monster that turns out to be real, but his neighbor was scared and pissed off at him and his best friend was a berserk beast and he still hadn't gotten what he wanted yet.

Karin was still feeling uncomfortable with everything that happened and had a hard time believe any of it was real. The fact that the two other people in the car were monsters wasn't even the most uncomfortable thing in the car; it was the bag of blood.

"Can we move that thing?" She whispered, pointing to the bag between the two of them.

"What? The bag?" Suigetsu asked confused, like it was such a strange thing to request.

"_Yes,_ the bag you, idiot!" Karin hissed loudly. "It's disgusting."

"If it disgusts you, move it." Suigetsu rolled his eyes.

"I don't want to touch that." Karin yelped appalled by such a prospect.

"It's yours." Suigetsu smirked. "You can do whatever you want with it."

"It is _not_ mine." She snarled. "I have nothing to do with this shit."

Suigetsu slammed on the brakes of the car, rapidly stopping the car and glaring at Karin. "Yes, you do. Don't you fucking dare deny what we both just went through. You agreed to this shit, just like I did." Suigetsu grabbed the bag and thrust it towards Karin. "Take it." He snapped.

Karin stared at Suigetsu in fear, which she had never done before. She usually found him rather pathetic in a funny sort of way and a few times intimidating but never had she been out right scared of him. She shakily took the bag in her hands, nearly vomiting at the sight of the red liquid in the bag.

"Now, you have two options." He whispered menacingly. "You can drink it and accept that fact that we were both fucked over and this is what we are now, or you can deny it, throw it out the window and try to forget this shit all happened." Karin made a move to open the window but Suigetsu grabbed her hand. "But if you do decide to deny, just know that it will slowly drive you mad. No the kind of mad Jugo is now, but the kind that will make you, and only you, miserable."

Karin was at a loss for words. Suigetsu never spoke like that and she slowly began to realize that this _is_ all real and that he was suffering just as much as her. As much as Karin hated Suigetsu, she wasn't about to abandon him, not after seeing he was in just as pain as her. She held the bag shakily in her hands and looked down at it.

Suigetsu saw something change in her eyes and spoke softly to her. "It's not nearly as bad as you think it is."

Karin didn't look at him and slowly opened the baggy. The smell hit her rather strongly and rather than having the urge to vomit, she felt her mouth water. The normally gut wrenching metallic smell, smelt appealing. It was the same smell; just it smelt good to Karin.

She slowly lifted the bag to her lips and closer her eyes. Maybe if she didn't see it than it wouldn't affect her as much. She hoped that as she let a drop drip between her lips and hit her tongue.

Her eyes immediately opened in shock as the taste filled her mouth and she slowly closed her eyes in pleasure. The taste was unlike anything she had ever tasted or anything she could ever describe in coherent sentences. It was warm, uncharacteristic so for being in such a cold car. It was unlike anything Karin had ever known and she instantly downed the entire thing. It felt a pleasant tingling feeling in her mouth, a gentle buzz.

Suigetsu watched as she lowered the bag and realization hit her on what she just did. He put his hand on her shoulder and rubbed his thumb over the thin material of her sleeve.

"You okay?" He asked.

"No." She stated quite bluntly. "I'm late. My dad is going to kill me." She looked over at him with a weak grin.

Suigetsu grinned. "I'll talk to him for you." He smirked. "He likes me."

"Shut the fuck up, you fish for brains!" Karin hit him hard on the chest as he started to drive back onto the road towards home.

* * *

_Sakura sat on her boyfriend's bed and watched him with an amused grin. School was starting soon and he seemed to have neglected his summer reading project. Sakura couldn't help but laugh at his expense. She had finished hers within the first week of summer so that she could relax the rest of the time. _

_ He sitting at his desk, shoulders bunched up tensely as he heard his girlfriend, the very reason he didn't do this stupid project sooner, laughing at him. While he loved her, he did not love her ridiculing him like she was now. Not only was she annoying, but she was also distracting, laying there so tempting on his bed._

_ "Why don't you go do something?" He snapped._

_ Sakura rolled her eyes. "And do what?"_

_ "Bother Temari or someone else who isn't busy." He hissed. _

_ "You should have done it sooner." She shook her head, standing up. _

_ "I was distracted." He deadpanned with his eyes boring into hers. _

_ Sakura blushed and turned away. "Just come find me when you finish, okay."_

_ She quickly exited out of the room and cautiously walked down the hall toward the room Temari usually occupied. Sakura just hoped she wasn't busy…again._

_ Sakura lightly knocked on the door. She waited for a long moment before she heard a very loud laugh followed what sounded like kissing. Blushing even darker than before she quickly scurried down the hall and down to the first floor. _

_ She went and sat on the couches and leaned back on the cushions. She waited around for about twenty minutes, not sure what to do until the front door opened. Sakura sat up and looked curiously to see who had come in._

_ The person who entered was a blonde, around the same age as her. He had bright sky-blue eyes and three whisper marks on each of his cheeks. He was wearing a very strange orange outfit with googles hanging around his next. He was by far the most interesting looking person she had seen enter this home._

_ He seemed to have noticed her as well and grinned wildly and raced over to her. Before Sakura could even comprehend what was happening, the boy jumped onto the couch, crouched in front of her in a ninja like stance._

_ "Hi!" He exclaimed with a wicked grin. "We finally get to meet, huh?"_

_ Sakura bit her lip. "I suppose, and you are?"_

_ "Uzumaki Naruto!" He announced with much gusto. Sakura instantly recognized the name from her boyfriend. "And you are Sakura, right?" He giggled as he said her name. When she nodded her head, Naruto's grin grew impossibly bigger. "Oh, we are going to have so much fun."_

_ "We are?" Sakura asked, tilting her head to the side. _

_ "Yup, because you and me are going to do each other a favor." Naruto smirked._

_ "And that would be?" She asked cautiously. _

_ "You just tell me how gushy your boyfriend is in front of you, and I'll tell you all the dirt I have on him, trust me you are going to want this for black mail later on." _

_ Sakura couldn't help grin. While she loved her boyfriend, she didn't always feel she knew that much about him and this orange blabbermouth was about to lead her down a path of answers._

_ "Deal."_

* * *

**Hello, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. A lot of taka in this one...**

**Anyways, thank you all for the reviews and for reading. :) you guys are amazing.**

**Until next time!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Warning: This is a Vampire/High School AU.**

**For Kayla,**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

Hinata was scared. More worried, actually, but scared seemed to describe how she looked better than worried. Even Tenten and Ino could see it from the other end of the hallway. The way her eyes darted back and forth. The way she clung to her belongings with such a tight grip her knuckles were bone white. The way she jumped at the quietest of noises. All in all, Hinata did not look well, and that was putting it lightly.

Tenten and Ino walked over to where their poor friend stood watching everyone mistrustfully. Tenten put her hand on Hinata's shoulder while Ino gave her the brightest smile she could muster.

"Hi Hinata!" Ino grinned widely.

"Ino." She murmured still looking around.

Tenten closed her eyes and sighed inwardly. "Still no sign of him?" She asked, with saddened eyes.

Hinata shook her head. "I think something bad h-happened to h-him."

"Like what?" Ino furrowed her eyebrows. "Maybe he is just sick."

"He isn't a-answering my c-calls or texts. I e-even emailed him." Hinata muttered as she checked her phone, just in case, but still nothing.

Tenten rubbed Hinata's back. "He is kind of a dork, maybe it's dead and he is too lazy to charge it. I'm sure he is fine."

Hinata bit her lip unsure. She remembered the last time she saw him last week that he had mentioned one of his friends were hurt. Maybe whatever got his friend got him. Hinata was scared. It was Friday and she had gone the whole school week without a single word from him.

"Don't worry! Besides," Ino smirked. "Tonight is movie night at Tenten's so we can take your mind off it."

"And my parents are gone for the weekend so we have the place to ourselves." Tenten added, trying desperately to cheer up her best friend.

"O-Okay." Hinata nodded her head shakily. She could shake off the feeling that something was off with Naruto. It was so unlike him to just drop all contact.

Tenten, Hinata, and Ino made their way out of the school and hooked a right turn at the gate to start walking towards Tenten's apartment building. During their walk, Ino rattled on and on about silly and frivolous topics, trying to distract Hinata. It seemed to work for the most part, although there was a part of Hinata that still couldn't drop it.

It was when they got to Tenten's building Ino fell silent in the elevator. As it was about to close, a hand flew in, stopping the doors and the owner of the hand came in.

Genma nodded his head to the girls with a sly smile. "Girls night?" He asked curiously.

"Yup." Tenten nodded her head politely.

"I bet the boyfriend isn't too happy about that." He smirked and Tenten did her best not to blush. Ino, on the other hand, focused on that one word.

"You have a boyfriend?" She asked dubiously.

Tenten gave her friend an unamused, yet embarrassed, look. "_No_," She hissed lowly. "He means Neji."

"Oh." Ino fell silent.

Genma shook his head at the teenage girls' antics as their floor came. With a simple goodbye, both parties disappeared into their separate apartments.

The girls dropped their stuff off in the threshold of Tenten's apartment. Ino and Hinata made themselves at home on the couch as Tenten when to the kitchen for drinks.

As she was rummaging through the multitude of sodas, two high pitch screams came from behind her by the couch. Tenten turned around rapidly to see her two friends hiding behind a pillow, huddled on the couch.

Then she saw it. On her coffee table was a large slick black raven. It was looking at Hinata and Ino with a dull expression and barely moved a muscle. Tenten almost through it was stuffed until it stretched its wings and tucked them back in.

"Why the fuck is there a bird in your apartment?" Ino growled, staring at it confused.

"Um." Tenten slowly walked around the couch and toward the coffee table and bird. "I have no idea. It must have come through the window."

Tenten paused and whipped her head to the window and sure enough it was wide open. She could have sworn she left the locks on…

"I-It h-has a n-note." Hinata whispered as she gestured towards its leg.

"Get it." Ino demanded.

Tenten slowly approached the bird and kneeled in front of it. It held out its leg expectantly for Tenten to remove the note that was tied to it with black ribbon. Once the note was successfully removed, the bird gave out a high pitched call before flying up and out of the apartment, leaving behind three confused girls, a note, and one raven black feather.

"What the fuck was that?" Ino asked as Tenten sat on the coffee table with the note folded in her hands.

"I don't know." She replied equally confused as she inspected the outside of the note trying not to think about the open window.

"A-Are you g-going to read it?" Hinata asked quietly.

Tenten nodded her head and unfolded the note. On the note in jet black ink with very fine and neat handwriting was a small message addressed to Tenten, Ino, and Hinata. She read it out loud.

_Miss Tenten, Ino, and Hinata,_

_ My name is Uchiha Itachi, you may be familiar with my little brother Sasuke. Tonight, I would like to formally invite you to our home. I have been eager to meet you three for a very long time and I think now is the time to do so. Neji, Shikamaru, and Naruto will also be present and are very excited for you to join us tonight. Like I have stated, it is tonight at seven. I hope you decided to join us._

_ Uchiha Itachi_

Tenten finished reading the note out loud and shared the same confused look with Ino and Hinata.

"What the fuck?" Ino snatched the note and reread it for herself. "Who uses messenger birds? Especially a raven?" Ino muttered aloud as she continued to search the note for anymore that Tenten might have missed.

"What does he mean he has wanted to meet us?" Tenten asked trying to think back to anything she might have done to grant his attention. All she could come up with was her kissing Neji and she highly doubted that he would tell his friend's older brother about that.

"M-Maybe Naruto mentioned us." Hinata explained.

"Are we going to go?" Tenten asked gaging her friends' faces.

"O-Of course." Hinata said without any hesitation. She had to see Naruto.

"I agree with Hinata." Ino nodded her head diplomatically. "This is probably going to be the best way to find out everything we need to know."

Tenten sighed. She knew they were right, but it didn't mean she wasn't freaked out by the bird and the prospect of seeing Neji again.

"What time is it?" Tenten sighed.

Ino checked her phone. "Three." She stood up. "Just barely enough time for us to get ready. We have to be prepared for the worst." She explained their confused looks.

* * *

Kisame leaned against the Uchiha house garage. In his hand was a bottle of beer he periodically took sips from as he looked up and down the street. He had been out there for about fifteen minutes, enjoying the nice quiet he was granted before the exciting and violent storm that was about to come. While he was exciting about the storm, he need time to gather his thoughts. Luckily for him, he had just finished his beer when Itachi's guests walked up the drive way. He eyed each one carefully.

On the far right was a tall blonde with electric blue eyes. Her hair was like gold and held in a high ponytail and had one eye covered. He silently chuckled as it was strikingly similar to Deidara's. She was wearing long pants and a flowy shirt but what really caught his attention were the sharp rings that adorned her fingers and the dangerously sharp heels she wore.

In the middle was a cute short girl with bluish black hair that swung past her shoulders and white pearl eyes, very similar to Neji's. He wondered if there was any relation for such strange eyes. She was wearing long jeans and a very familiar orange and black jacket.

On the left was a lovely brunette with her chestnut hair held in two little buns. Her eyes were a fiery amber color. She wore long jeans and a loose sweater but he could see poking out of the front pocket of her pants was a pocket knife tucked away nicely.

Kisame smirked to himself. These girls were not stupid. They knew they were walking into something dangerous and have brought some defense. He just pitied them from not being prepared enough. Those sharp rings and pocket knives would only get them so far in the end, if it came down to that.

"Hello." He waved as they walked slowly towards him. He could see their confused faces. They must be wondering who he was. "The name is Kisame. I'm a friend of Itachi's." He explained briefly. "Come this way." He pushed away from the garage door and let the three girls follow him.

He entered the house and held the door for the girls. He noticed their eyes travel around the room but they would find nothing of interest. The room had been bare for years, only holding a few seats but no personal affects. The rooms on the first floor hardly looked lived in, which actually held some truth.

He led them to the door to the basement and grinned. "This way."

The girls all shared a look as he opened the door for them and they slowly made their way down to the basement. This was going to be very interesting. Kisame grinned as he snapped the door shut behind him.

* * *

The four boys laid in Sasuke's room in silence. They had been in there for five days and were growing more and more still as the days went on. Shikamaru slept. Neji meditated. Sasuke looked out the window. Naruto…well, Naruto did anything and everything he could that would drive most people insane.

At this moment, Naruto decided that he needed to get a better understanding on the mechanics of Sasuke's bed side table and was currently sitting in a sea of wooden pieces and screws. He was slowly beginning to put everything back together when he stopped suddenly, dropping the wooden leg with a loud thump.

The other three boys watch curiously as Naruto stood up and went to the door. He pressed his ear against the wood of the door and listened for a moment. He could hear the shuffle of feet.

"There are people down there!" He whispered excitedly. "Let's go see who!"

"Isn't just more of Itachi's friends." Shikamaru yawned loudly.

"No." Naruto shook his head quickly. "I think it is new people."

"So?" Neji opened a glaring eye at Naruto. Neji was rather enjoying the lockdown. His darkness kept quiet and he didn't need to worry about attacking anymore.

"_So_, we need to see who!" Naruto grinned. "Come on, guys. You must be bored."

"Nope."

"Not really."

"Hn."

"Sasukeeeeee!" Naruto whined loudly making both Neji and Shikamaru cringe. The Uchiha was by now far used to the noise that he didn't move a muscle. "Pleaseeeee!"

"Why?" He hissed.

"So we have something to do instead of mope in silence." Naruto pointed out grumpily.

Neji and Shikamaru watched surprised as Sasuke stood up. "Fine." He walked past Naruto and out the door. "But you are going to fix my table when we get back."

Naruto grinned wickedly, "Okay! Okay!" He raced after Sasuke.

Neji and Shikamaru stared at each other. "You going?" Shikamaru asked.

Neji shrugged and got himself to his feet. "Why not."

"I guess." Shikamaru followed Neji downstairs to where the other boys were.

Once all were standing in the Uchiha living room they were met with a loud cry from Naruto. "What?! There is no one here!"

"They probably went downstairs." Sasuke sunk into the couch.

"Or Naruto is going crazy." Shikamaru muttered.

"No!" Naruto exclaimed. "I heard them."

"Crazy thought." Neji stated bored as he sat on the armchair. "Maybe we should check the basement." He stated rather sarcastically with his one hand waving in an arbitrary motion.

"No." Sasuke instantly denied. He didn't want to be near his brother anymore so then he had to be.

"I think Neji is on to something." Naruto grinned. "One peek can't hurt."

Before Sasuke could deny Naruto's request, the front door opened. Sakura walked in and looked at the four boys in the living room. She then silently checked her watch and then looked back at the four boys dully.

"There is a meeting today." She stated as she watched them. Each looking more confused than the last.

"There is?" Shikamaru asked. "We weren't told."

Sakura didn't look amused. "Okay." She swiftly walked towards the basement door.

"Wait! I want to go too, Sakura-chan!" Naruto quickly followed Sakura as she narrowed her eyes at the blonde.

"Why?" She hissed.

Naruto blinked and rubbed the back of his head. "I heard people down there."

Sakura stared blankly at Naruto for a really long time. "There are always people down there."

"New people." Naruto nodded his head rapidly. "Sasuke said we could look." He smiled proudly.

Sakura rolled her eyes in conclusion of the conversation. She continued toward the door, only slightly aware that all four boys were following her down. She didn't care as long as Itachi didn't mind and she didn't have to talk to them. The week without them had been bliss.

* * *

The three girls were surprised to see the basement nearly empty except for a few couches and armchairs. The only person in the basement was a man that each girl could easily identify as Sasuke's brother Itachi. He gave them all a small smile before gesturing them to sit on one of the couches in the circle. He gave Kisame the loose, silent, command to leave, which Kisame obeyed silently.

The three girls watched the mysterious man leave as they were left alone with another one.

"I'm sure you've all gathered that I'm Sasuke's brother, Itachi." He leaned back as he looked at each on individually. "Now which one is Hinata?"

Hinata froze upon hearing the calm man before her say her name. She slowly and shakily replied. "I-I am."

Itachi nodded his head. "I guessed so from the jacket. I just wanted to check." He spoke and Hinata immediately remembered she was wearing Naruto's jacket. "So you two are together?" He stated calmly and a very simple way.

Hinata blushed upon having to talk about her relationship with Naruto with Sasuke's older brother. "Y-Yes."

"He seems very fond of you." Itachi finalized before dragging his coal black eyes over to Ino. "And you are…"

"Ino." She waved a little.

"Ah, Shikamaru's stalker." He stated with a small smirk.

Ino was taken back by the title and quickly tried to change it. "I'm not necessarily his stalker, I'm just curious."

"Curiosity is a dangerous thing." Itachi remarked rather offhandedly. "It can get you into trouble. Just be glad Shikamaru isn't much trouble." Ino nodded her head but remained silent as Itachi turned to Tenten. "I suppose that means you're Tenten?" He asked, with a hint of confusion in his voice.

"Yes, sir." She nodded her head cautiously but respectfully.

Itachi was quite surprised. Neji was a monster, far worse than any he had met previous simply because he lacked control of his own life. Itachi had made the loose assumption Neji already started his attacks on this girl but she seemed fine…maybe it was still too soon. "You and Neji are in relations?" He stated loosely and watched her reactions.

Tenten stared half a second long than necessary before quickly nodding her head. "Sort of." She really wasn't sure what to call it. She kissed him and had been rejected…she wasn't sure if that counted as relations.

Itachi noticed her hesitation but continued regardless. "He has mentioned you a few times but not nearly as often as Naruto does about you." He looked pointedly at a blushing Hinata.

As if on cue, the basement doors open. The three girls before him looked up toward the door and each froze with a very similar expression, pure astonishment.

Sakura wasn't expecting anything out of the ordinary when she opened the door, but that's what she got when she opened the door to the basement and saw the entirety of it empty save for Itachi and three of the last people she would have ever placed in the basement.

To her credit, she didn't react at all as she continued down the steps, her eyes only on Itachi who was smirking at her in an all too familiar way.

"Sakura?" Ino exclaimed, shattering the silence.

Sakura didn't look at her as she made her way over to the love seat adjacent from them and sat down in it. Her eyes were glued to Itachi.

"Do you guys know each other?" Itachi smirked at Sakura who only narrowed her eyes. If taunting her to get a reaction, so be it, but he better know it was futile.

"Hinata?" Naruto bumbled down the stairs and made a beeline to his girlfriend. "What are you doing here?" He asked as he kneeled in front of her.

"I asked her and her two friends to be here so we can all have a little chat." Itachi explained. "Please have a seat, we have much to discuss."

Naruto nodded his head and moved to sit in the armchair next to the couch. Neji sat beside Sakura his eyes on Tenten who refused to look at anything but her knees. Shikamaru leaned against the wall and observed everyone while Sasuke leaned beside him, his eyes only on his scheming brother.

Once everyone was still and seat, Itachi continued. "We should probably start with the fact that you girls have some misconceptions about us. Now, feel free to talk at any time, I plan to be completely honest with you."

"How can we trust you?" Ino asked quickly, eyes narrowed.

"Faith." Itachi shrugged. "What do I have to gain from lying to you?"

Ino bit her tongue and stayed quiet on what she really wanted to say and instead nodded her head politely for him to continue. "Fair enough."

"Excellent." Itachi smiled. "Now, from what I gathered, you are under the assumption that we are a dangerous bunch, right?"

"Yup." Ino nodded her head, taking the position as group speaker. "And I assume you are going to tell me you aren't?"

"Not at all." Itachi shook his head. "We are quite dangerous."

Ino paled and shrank back instantly, not quite sure what to do. Tenten's eyes widened and quickly flashed over to Neji and Sakura and back to her knees. Hinata bit her lip knowing what was coming.

"You're just going to tell them?" Shikamaru interjected, clearly not seeing the logic in this.

Itachi shrugged. "Naruto already told Miss Hinata, I don't see why she should have to leave her other friends in the dark."

Tenten and Ino turned to Hinata and stared at her in surprise. "What is he talking about?"

Hinata shook her head, not speaking.

"Don't blame her." Itachi leaned forward. "She promise Naruto and she is quite brave not to rat us all out. Thank you." He nodded his head to the little Hyuga.

"So what are you going to tell us?" Ino asked cautiously, still worried about what he had told them thus far.

"You probably won't believe us, but we are vampires." He let his words hang in the air. He didn't even try being tactful, it was a waste of breath.

Sakura, Neji, Sasuke, and Shikamaru watched in pure disbelief as Itachi said it. Even to them it sounded stupid and unreal. He didn't even bother to sound convincing. There was no proof, no explanation, nothing.

Hinata looked over at Naruto, who gave her a very weak smile. She had heard this before but after hearing it again it still sounded unbelievable.

Tenten was utterly confused. She couldn't help but feel the need to chuckle. It was all ridiculous. Sure she could believe they were dangerous, but mythical monsters? Never.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Ino growled. She wasn't even confused. She was just angry by the fact that his man was making up ridiculous excuses. She then turned to Sakura who looked like she actually believed this man. "Not you too." She cried at Sakura. Sakura looked over to see a very pissed off Ino. "Are you telling me you ditched me," Ino gestured between the three of them. "Us, because this guy says he is a vampire."

"She is one too." Itachi stated, not making the situation better. Sakura could only continue to glare at Itachi.

"You are fucking whack jobs." Ino then turned to Hinata. "Do you believe this shit?"

Hinata shrank in fear and slowly nodded her head. Tenten looked at Hinata confused. "Seriously?" Tenten asked.

"I can't believe this." Ino stood up. "I am getting out of here."

"You don't want to hear the rest?" Itachi asked as he watched Ino walked towards the stairs.

"Let me guess," Ino turned and pointed at Shikamaru. "He is a werewolf." She then pointed at Sasuke. "He is the boogey man." And finally she pointed at Neji. "And he is the motherfucking loch ness monster."

"No." Itachi shook his head. "They are vampires too."

Tenten, while not reacting as emotional and public as Ino was feeling the same upset feelings. She didn't like being lied to and she didn't like being taken on a ride by a crazy man but part of her was trying to make sense of it like the raven that was sent to her and the connections Gaara and Kankuro were trying to make. She quickly shook her head. Now she was being crazy. She looked over at Hinata who was watching Ino with tears collecting in her eyes.

"You are all insane." Ino snarled as she turned to leave. Shikamaru shot his hand out and grabbed Ino. "Get you're crazy hands off of me." She ripped her hand from his grip and stormed up the stairs. She slammed the basement door shut behind her.

Everyone stared over at Itachi who was looking at Tenten. "Do you have anything to add?"

Tenten looked over to Hinata who looked so fragile and as much as she wanted to stand by her, she had to follow Ino. She couldn't believe this no matter what.

"No." Tenten shook her hand and quickly stood up. "Sorry, Hinata." She gave her friend a pitied look.

She made her way through the room, keeping a careful distance from Neji who said nothing as she walked past him and out of the room. Once the door was closed, Itachi got up and kneeled in front of a shaking Hinata.

"I'm sorry." He explained quietly.

"What did you expect to happen?" Shikamaru sighed. "I'm surprised she even believes this crap."

Naruto moved to sit beside Hinata. "Don't worry, they will believe. I promise."

Hinata nodded her head, still not sure what had just happened or if she wanted them to believe. She quickly took her eyes off Naruto and over to Sakura. "Y-You're one too?"

Sakura knew she was being addressed but refused to respond and instead stood up and looked at Itachi with raised eyebrows to ask if they were done here.

Itachi first turned to Naruto. "Why don't you get her home? Be back by midnight. If you are late, I'll send Zetsu and Tobi for you."

Naruto nodded his head and grabbed Hinata. "Come on, let's go."

* * *

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Sakura seethed as soon as Naruto and Hinata exited the room where Itachi just told Ino and Tenten their strange secret. All that was left in the room was Itachi, Sakura, Neji, Shikamaru, and Sasuke.

"It needed to be done." Itachi reasoned as he sat on his chair.

"Why?" Sakura hissed clearly not pleased by any of this. She had left them for a fucking reason. If she wanted them to know, she would have told them all three fucking years ago. Now those three years of silent suffering is for fucking nothing and she was pissed. All that emotion she had bottled up was spilling out in violent waves.

"You'll see." Was all he said. Sakura shook her head irritably and walked out. The only good news was now Ino and Tenten would stop watching her all the time, unfortunately now Hinata knew more than she should. "We aren't done." He reminded her before she reached the first stair and she stopped. She turned around and sat on the step, waiting impatiently.

"Now, Shikamaru, Neji," Itachi turned towards the two boys. "I need you two to keep an eye on the two girls. I will send Hidan and Kakuzu to check on you every now and then but I want you with them at all times. I want you to see where they go after school, who they talk to. When they retire for the night, you will come back here, understood?"

"Is that wise?" Shikamaru asked. "Neji can hardly handle himself and now you want him to watch them?"

Itachi's eyes flared. "I know what I am doing. You both have connections to each girl; I want you to keep an eye on them. Whether it is wanted," Itachi looked to Neji. "Or not." He glanced at Shikamaru.

"Fine." Shikamaru sighed. "We will go now."

Neji followed silently. _I can do this._ He tried to think optimistically but that darkness instantly denied it. _**No you can't.**_

When they were gone, Sakura and Sasuke watched Itachi as he spoke aloud to both of them. "You two need to work together. You don't have to be friends; you don't even have to speak to each other. I just need to know that you have each other's backs. Can you do that?" He looked at them both suspiciously.

Both nodded their heads silently.

"Good. Now you can go." Itachi waved them off.

Sakura was off in a second while Sasuke remained where he was. "What are you planning?" He growled.

Itachi smirked. "You'll see."

* * *

Hinata and Naruto sat on her bed in her room. She shook with nerves while Naruto rubbed her back gently, trying to calm her down.

"I-I just d-don't understand." Hinata looked up at him. "W-Why w-would he tell t-them?"

"I don't know." Naruto frowned. "Are they upset with you?"

"I-I don't even know a-anymore." She murmured. "Y-You have to leave soon though, r-right?"

Naruto nodded his head. "Yeah, but I'll see you on Monday, I promise."

Hinata smiled weakly. "I-I'll see you then."

"I'll try and come this weekend if I can, but don't count on it."

"I know."

Naruto leaned down and kissed her deeply. "I love you."

She kissed back weakly. "I-I love you too."

* * *

Karin quickly finished the dishes in the kitchen of her home. She had just finished dinner and her father had gone to bed for his early morning, like clockwork. She just had to finish up this last dish and then she would be heading next door.

The past five days were especially hard on her. She was still coping with that fact that she was supposed to be different even though she didn't feel it. The only thing that was abnormal was that every night after dinner she would sneak over to Suigetsu for what she really craved.

Tonight was no different. Once she finished her dishes, she quickly turned off all the lights and went next door where Suigetsu was waiting for her on the porch patiently. As usually, he helped her navigate the house so they would not run into his annoying brother and were quickly seated in his room where they waiting for Jugo who was still not reacting well with the change.

"How was dinner?" Suigetsu asked awkwardly.

"Fine." She murmured. "How is Jugo?" She got to the real topic.

"Not so great." Suigetsu sighed as he laid back on his bed. "He has never been like this before. I talked to Kabuto about it earlier though."

Every day Kabuto would stop by and drop off their supplies to Suigetsu along with some messages from Kabuto's boss, the snake.

"What did he say?" Karin asked cautiously. She didn't like Kabuto but he was the only one knowledgeable about what was happening to them.

"He said Jugo is experiencing repressed memories." Suigetsu frowned.

"Like what?" Karin asked.

"I don't know but it must be terrible if he is acting like that."

The door to his room opened and Jugo silently slid in. Ever since they managed to grab him Sunday night and knock him out, he has been acting odd. Odder than normal. There were no curious questions or annoying statements. He was just silent.

"Hi Jugo." Karin waved from beside Suigetsu.

Jugo said nothing as he sat on Suigetsu's desk chair looking out the window.

"Let's just get started." Suigetsu reached under his bed and grabbed the cooler that Kabuto had freshly restocked for them. "Drink up." Suigetsu took a long sip from the red liquid before grinning. "Now let's talk plans."

"Why does Kabuto even want him though?" Karin asked confused.

"Not Kabuto, his boss the snake." Suigetsu corrected. "And I don't know. It's not really my business."

"Well I don't think it makes any sense. What does Sasuke have to do with any of this?" Karin rolled her eyes.

"I don't know. But shouldn't you be pleased? You like him and all that shit." Suigetsu muttered pissed.

"I don't just like him." Karin retorted. "I love him."

"Right, and when is the last time you've talked to him?" Suigetsu pointed out snidely.

"You and Sasuke have talked?" Jugo asked quietly.

Karin was about to reply with a witty response but stopped at Jugo's voice. Suigetsu froze and stared at his best friend.

"Jugo!" Suigetsu jumped up and grinned widely. "Good to see you back to normal." Any sign of talking at this point, was good news in Suigetsu's book.

Karin rolled her eyes. She missed Jugo, but she really didn't need both of these idiots annoying her now. Still she couldn't help but smile as Suigetsu was animatedly talking to Jugo who was really just like he used to almost like nothing had happened.

* * *

_"So that one is the big dipper?" Sakura closed one eye and pointed toward the sky. She was lying on her back, looking at the stars the spilled across the sky with her boyfriend who was glued to her side providing her warmth._

_ "I don't know." He shrugged._

_ "You should know." Sakura pouted and looked over at him. "Will you find out?"_

_ "Probably not." He replied honestly._

_ She punched him lightly. "You are the worst."_

_ He rolled his eyes and smirked. "Yeah, I'm fucking terrible."_

_ Sakura rolled onto her side and met his lovely eyes. "So if you don't know shit about stars, we are we up here?"_

_ "No reason." He muttered._

_ "You always have a reason." She poked his stomach jokingly._

_ "Not this time." He looked at the sky and away from her._

_ Sakura sat up at stared at him with her mouth agape. "You're actually lying about this?"_

_ "Sakura…"_

_ "No." She cut him off fiercely. "You always lie to me and hide things from me. Be fucking honest for once. Man the fuck up and tell the truth." She snarled. _

_ Her boyfriend sat up with dark eyes and watched her carefully. He slowly reached for her hand and held it lightly in his hand. "Do you want me to really tell you the truth?"_

_ Sakura rolled his eyes. "No shit."_

_ "Fine, but you can't repeat this to anyone." He glared at her._

_ "Who am I going to tell?" _

_ "Temari." He hissed her name lowly. "Or Naruto."_

_ Sakura blinked and then grinned. "You just don't want your friends to know. Oh! It must be good, what is it?"_

_ He sighed and looked away from her. "The reason I brought you here was…" He let out a length sigh and mumbled, "…to be romantic."_

_ Sakura couldn't help but laugh aloud. "Are you serious?"_

_ He stayed silent, burning holes into her head with his eyes. _

_ "Aw, you are serious." Sakura crawled up to him and snuggled against him. "You are such a softy."_

_ "No am not." He growled as he wrapped his arm around his girlfriend._

_ "Oh shush, big baby."_

* * *

**Hello! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. **

**So a few secrets are out in the open now! The girls know what they are (whether they believe it or not) and we know what Orochimaru wants, but (un)fortunately, there are a lot more secrets that need to be spilled and a few more things that will come into light (eventually).**

**Anyways, thank you all for reading and keeping this story alive and thanks a ton for the reviews and such, they really mean so much to me as a writer. **

**So, again, thank you!**

**Until next time :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Warning: This is a Vampire/High School AU. There might be some OOCness.**

**For Kayla 3**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

Hinata walked into school earlier that Monday morning in a bundle of nerves. Ino and Tenten hadn't tried to reach her or picked up her calls over the weekend and Hinata wasn't sure where they stood. Naruto had been as supportive as he could from the scarce texts.

She reached her locker and looked around. She could see Tenten at the end of the hall shuffling through her bag looking for something. Tenten looked up and made brief eye contact with Hinata. She gave an apologetic look before turning away to move towards her locker and away from Hinata.

A warm hand brushed against Hinata's before picking it. "Don't worry, everything will be okay." Naruto stated determined, throwing in a confident smile of determination and support.

Hinata nodded her head although she wasn't quite sure. There was still a lot she didn't even know and now she had no one to question everything with. All she had was Naruto and for now that would be fine. She loved him and couldn't stand to be away from him, but he could never replace Tenten or Ino.

"W-We should go to c-class." Hinata looked up at Naruto with a small smile, although it was fake.

"Are you sure you want to go?" Naruto asked in a hush voice. "I can break us out of here." He grinned wickedly.

Hinata couldn't help but break out into a grin. "N-No." She shook her head. "You've already m-missed a week."

Naruto groaned. "Fine." He mumbled, displeased by his studious girlfriend. "But you are going to regret that." He hissed jokingly and continued to pout. His face suddenly brightened. "I'll be right back!" He yelped as he raced over to Sasuke who had his head inside his locker.

Hinata watched amused as her boyfriend tackled his best friend, pushing him further into the locker. Sasuke pushed the bumbling blonde off him with a very unamused expression. From what Hinata could see, Sasuke said some very explicit threats and Naruto backed off. The two then fell into some sort of conversation.

Hinata found that she rather enjoyed watching them interact but was unfortunately interrupted by a cough behind her. She turned around to see Kankuro leaning against the lockers with a rather displeased look.

"H-Hello, Kankuro." Hinata said politely although not quite sure what he wanted.

"Hey, Hinata." He waved halfhearted as he stepped closer to her. "Are…Are you okay?" He whispered his eyes not on her but behind her.

Hinata blinked surprised before her face fell into one of confusion. "U-Um, yes." She frowned deeply. "W-Why do y-you ask?"

Kankuro wrinkled his nose. "I overheard you and your boyfriend." Hinata's eyes widened and Kankuro explained. "I was going through my locker, I'm not stalking and I just heard him…uh…threaten you." He muttered the last part.

Hinata broke out into a smile. "H-He was just k-kidding; you have nothing to w-worry a-about. But t-thank you for being c-concerned."

Kankuro didn't smile back and continued to watch Naruto with the same scrunched expression. "I'd be careful around him." His eyes then landed on Hinata's. "I'm sure Tenten has told you about our conversation."

Hinata nodded her head gravely. "Y-Yes, she has, and s-sorry for your loss, but I-I'm fine."

Kankuro rolled his eyes and stood straight. "Suit yourself, but if anything weird happens, don't hesitate to find me." His eyes refocused on Hinata's and he whispered so only she could here. "Take care of yourself, Hyuga."

Kankuro walked away soon after and Hinata watched him with her own frown. She knew all of Kankuro's suspicions but they were just that, suspicions. She looked over to Naruto who was waving goodbye to Sasuke and jogging over to him and without a doubt in her mind, she knew Naruto could never do anything like what had happened to Kankuro's sister.

"Ready?" He asked breathlessly.

Hinata smiled and took his hand. "Yes."

* * *

The school day was nearly over and Shikamaru had not seen Ino once. When he got to her house this morning, he found it deserted. He went around the entire school a total of four times and could not find a trace of her. While she might not be great at following his trail, she was great a losing him from hers. Lunch was nearly at its end and he was about ready to throw in the towel. His loyalty to Itachi was not worth exhausting himself to find an annoying girl. He had better things to do with his time.

He had been searching the labs because he couldn't think of anymore places she could be hiding until he noticed her. Now, normally Shikamaru didn't notice girls, particularly their attempts at their physical appearance. Shikamaru could think of a million things better than sitting in front of the mirror for hours doing one's hair but he knew Ino was that type of girl.

So, when he saw a particularly mousey girl with her hair in a very elaborate fashion and quite professional makeup, he knew that had nothing to do with her own skill. That was Ino. He wasn't even sure why he was dead certain it was her but if his gut said it was, than it was. His gut was never wrong.

He had watched the girl walk out of the girl's room and knew where Ino had been hiding the entire day. He didn't even question that thought, it made perfect sense as to why Shikamaru couldn't find her. He looked around, clearly uncomfortable with the idea of checking to see if his gut was right. He really didn't want to go in there on a whim but he knew it was more than that.

He walked up to the door and prayed that no one was in or around there to see him. He let out a tired groan as he pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The first thing he was met as he stepped into the bathroom was two high pitch squeals. He looked to see the blonde he had spent the entire morning looking for with her hands tangled in a poor brunette's hair, both with looks of horror.

"What are you doing here?" The brunette shrieked. "This is the girl's room!"

Shikamaru pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. "I know that." Now that he had found Ino, he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do now. "Can I have a word with Ino?" He asked Ino more than the girl.

Ino frowned but patted the girl on the back. "I'll fix it up later." The girl slowly nodded her head and darted out of the bathroom, leaving the two seniors alone. "What do you want?" Ino asked with her hands on her hips.

"What are you doing here?" He answered rather than answering her question.

"Doing freshman girl's hair for money, duh." Ino snapped. "Now get the fuck away from me."

Shikamaru was not completely surprised by her reaction but still felt himself flinch at her words. "Why?" He asked although he knew the answer.

"You're insane!" Ino yelled. "You think you are a fucking vampire, why wouldn't I want you as far away from me as possible?"

Shikamaru nodded his head in understanding. "Are you hiding from me?"

"No shit." Ino narrowed her eyes. "You're stalking me now."

It wasn't a question but Shikamaru answered it anyways. "Yeah."

Ino straighten herself up. "Why?" She asked skeptically.

"Itachi asked me to. He wants to see what you'll end up doing." Shikamaru replied easily. It was too troublesome to deny something, especially with Ino. She was the definition of troublesome.

"I'm not going to do anything." Ino deadpanned. "Well, except avoid you freaks."

"Even Sakura?" Shikamaru leaned against the sink, seeming to forget he was in the girl's bathroom.

Ino fell quiet at his question. "I don't have to tell you shit."

Shikamaru nodded his head. "I know, but I also remember you trying to talk to Sakura all the time in freshman year and that not turning out well."

Ino narrowed her eyes. "How long have you been watching me?"

Shikamaru raised his eyebrows. "I wasn't watching you. I just heard about it?"

"From Sakura?" Ino asked surprised and deeply interested.

"No." Shikamaru chuckled. "If she wasn't talking to her best friend, do you think she was talking to me? No, we had a mutual friend."

"Who?"

"Not important for you to know. All I know is that you still care about her." Shikamaru could see he was getting somewhere with Ino. He wasn't sure where or why but he was getting there.

"She was my best friend, like a sister." Ino swallowed, looking down at the ground. Suddenly she looked up. "If I'm going to let you stalk me, can I ask you a few questions?" Ino asked with bright eyes.

"Let me stalk you?" Shikamaru hissed with furrowed eyebrows.

"Yeah! I won't disappear and I get to ask you questions and vice versa." Ino nodded her head.

"What about me being insane?" Shikamaru asked cautiously.

Ino pursed her lips. "I'm not being friends with you. You are going to stalk me either way. I'm just monopolizing on this opportunity."

Shikamaru nodded his head. "Fine, but not now." Shikamaru thought for a moment. "After school, you pick where."

Ino smirked. "See you then, Nara." The bell rang loudly and Shikamaru cursed as a herd came in to see him standing there. Shikamaru then proceeded to yawn and walked at his normal turtle pace out of the bathroom, leaving all of the girls speechless except for Ino who couldn't help but laugh.

* * *

Tenten closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. She could feel Neji watching her with his cold white eyes. She knew he was there because he honestly wasn't trying to hide. He wanted her to know he was there and Tenten couldn't handle it. She was a bundle of nerves wondering what he wanted. Usually she wanted his attention or any reason to talk to him but at this point, she wanted to be as far away from him as possible.

Ever since Friday night when Sasuke's brother had declared that they were vampires, she avoided them all. Normally she had no problem doing so. Sasuke and she had never exchanged so much as a word. Tenten could easily sit somewhere else in calculus and not have to be near Shikamaru. Sakura was like a ghost and Tenten couldn't find her if she tried. Naruto only hung around Hinata so as long as Tenten was avoiding Hinata all would be good.

Tenten was feeling herself fall into the same depression Ino had gone through when she had lost Sakura. They all had loved Sakura but her and Ino were much closer. Now Tenten understood that now that she wasn't speaking to Hinata. It wasn't that she was even mad at Hinata. She just needed to get away from as much of the crazy as she could. Which was pretty difficult with it stalking her everywhere she went.

Neji was relentless over the past two days. Whenever she so much as stepped out of the apartment, he was there but he would never say so much as a word to her and always kept his distance. Tenten was beginning to think he had set up camp outside of her apartment building which made it difficult for her to determine if there were any other stalkers out there. "Tenten."

Tenten whirled around to find Neji standing inches away from her, still as stone. Tenten's eyes widened as she looked around to find the halls deserted. "W-What do you want?" She choked the words out. Hearing his voice did strange things to Tenten's steady mind.

Neji's darkness couldn't help but smirk at Tenten's nervousness around him. _**Good, she should be scared.**_

"Shouldn't you be going to class?" He asked with intrigued eyes. He missed being near her and his darkness missed all the emotions her pretty little face showed. It took all his will to control the dark aura in him.

Tenten was put off by the question. She was expecting some sort of explanation for the whole 'vampire' discussion but hearing him ask her about mundane things like being late to class threw her off. "Wha-I mean, yeah." She side stepped him and began to walk off.

Neji smirked as he fell into step with her. "Our class is the other way."

Tenten stopped in her tracks and inwardly cursed. She had been dead set on getting out of there that she didn't even think about where her class is. She spun on her heel and began towards her class. Her shoulders were still stiff with Neji next to her.

Neji didn't speak the rest of the way to class. He was too busy keeping himself in check like he knew he was being tested on. So far, he was pleased with the results. As long as Tenten wanted nothing to do with him anymore, he could keep away from her much longer, or so he believed.

It was when he got to the door he could feel himself relax. They sat on opposite sides of the class and he could handle that. He knew that much. There were too many people and emotions in the classroom for him to focus solely on hers. He would be fine.

He reached for the door and opened it for a stiff shoulder Tenten who made sure to keep a healthy foot distance from him. She quickly scurried through the door, letting out a sigh of relief. She was safe in the company of others.

Neji also sighed with relief. She was safe in the company of others and that's all he could hope for.

* * *

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Suigetsu grumbled as he threw his head back gently against the locker.

"Why wouldn't it?" Karin smirked pleased with herself.

"Because you think he likes you back when he clearly doesn't." Suigetsu snapped, throwing Karin a spiteful glare.

"Sounds like you are jealous." Jugo murmured to Suigetsu.

Suigetsu swung his eyes toward his best friend. "I liked you better when you were a mute."

"It can't fail." Karin adjusted her shirt. "I mean, who wouldn't want this."

Without listening to Suigetsu's sarcastic response, Karin walked down the hallway to her target, Uchiha Sasuke. He was walking toward her just has she had planned. It was the end of the school day so this was her only chance.

"Sasuke!" She called out a little more excited than she had planned, but she kept it up. She can't be embarrassed now, not while her annoying neighbor was watching from the distance.

Sasuke didn't appear to hear her as he kept walking. Karin didn't let this get to her as she stood in front of him and tried again. "Hi Sasuke!" She grinned and waved cutely. "What's up?"

Sasuke sighed loudly and muttered. "Leaving."

Karin smiled brightly. "Me too! Actually, my ride bailed on me."

Sasuke looked around Karin for a plan of escape. "That sucks."

"Yeah, and I know you have a car and I was wondering if maybe you could-"

"Sasuke." A cold voice called from behind Sasuke, cutting Karin off coldly.

Sasuke seemed to recognize the voice and spun around quickly leaving Karin was watch in horror. Karin looked past Sasuke to see Sakura standing there. Karin knew Sakura briefly from their primary school days and knew she was kind of a ghost now days. She had never expected Sasuke to even know her, let alone react so strongly to her. Karin couldn't help but feel a pang of jealous. Sakura wasn't even trying.

It was true though. Sakura wasn't even trying. She just had no other options but Sasuke. She couldn't find Neji, Shikamaru, or even Naruto and now was looking at Sasuke as her only hope. She felt horrible. Whatever kind of venom that snake had, it had not left her system fully. Sasori had told her it would take a while to recover and not to over exhort herself, but he didn't tell her that walking a flight of stairs would make her vomit. She was shaking uncontrollably from the weight of her own bag and she felt like she was going to collapse. She thought she was supposed to be recovered a while ago but it all hit her suddenly like a ton of bricks.

"Sakura." Sasuke walked to her, leaving Karin behind. He could see she wasn't well.

"Can I have a ride?" She whispered. She wasn't in any condition to even walk, let alone operate a moving vehicle, plus they were going to the same place in the end. She needed to see Sasori to make sure everything was alright.

Karin watched with pure rage as Sasuke nodded his head and took Sakura's bag. He brushed right past her with Sakura following in tow. Karin couldn't believe her eyes and was sitting in a sea of rejection. It also didn't help when her annoying neighbor started laughing from the other side of the hallway. Karin turned around and stomped toward him.

"Right," Suigetsu laughed hysterically. "Who wouldn't want that? He was practically all over you."

Jugo frowned. "No he wasn't. He left her for the pink haired girl."

Suigetsu stopped his laughter and glared at Jugo. "I know that, it was a joke."

"It wasn't very funny." Jugo responded honestly.

"Will you two shut the fuck up?" Karin growled.

"Sorry, I thought you had this." Suigetsu pushed off the wall.

"Didn't that pink haired bitch fuck you over too?" Karin sneered.

Suigetsu smirked menacingly. "Kabuto already told me how to handle her."

"How?"

Suigetsu snarled lowly. "By getting Uchiha Sasuke."

* * *

Ino sat in front of an empty house in a very small neighborhood about fifteen minutes from her own house. School had ended half an hour ago and now she was sitting and waiting for Shikamaru, her stalker, so they could talk. She couldn't think of a more fucked up situation, except for the fact that she was in a room of people who claimed to be vampires last Friday. That was truly fucked up.

"Where the fuck are we?" Shikamaru frowned. Ino looked up, surprised to see him. She hadn't even noticed he was here.

Shikamaru sat beside Ino on the front steps as he looked at the peeled paint porch. "My old house. We moved in the middle of freshman year."

"I see."

Ino shook her head. "I get to ask questions, not you."

"Go ahead." Shikamaru leaned back and looked up at the sky, watching the clouds go by.

"How well do you know Sakura?" Ino asked curiously as she watched him stare at the sky.

Shikamaru shrugged. "Not very. I know a few things. We are more acquaintances."

"But you had the mutual friend." Ino pressed.

"Yeah, wouldn't Sakura be our mutual friend? You don't know much about me."

Ino nodded her head frowning. "Then what do you know?"

"Just how she is now. I didn't really know much about her before."

Ino was surprised to hear Shikamaru divide Sakura's life into two halves like she, Hinata, and Tenten often did. Something happened that made her different but what? "Why do you phrase it like that?"

"Phrase what?" Shikamaru looked over at Ino confused.

"You said how she used to be. You divide it into two pieces." Ino explained with awkward hand motions. "What is the splitting point? What caused her to change?" Ino asked trying to hide her excitement.

"You aren't going to like the answer." Shikamaru sighed.

"Why?" Ino crossed her arms.

"You'll call me insane again." Shikamaru shrugged simply.

"What happened?"

"She got turned into a vampire."

Ino stared at him for a long while before shaking her head. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Told you." Shikamaru closed his eyes peacefully. "Still doesn't change the fact that she is different now."

Ino rolled her eyes. She wasn't going to get real answers with this whole vampire front. "So let me guess, it changes your personality?" She murmured humoring him.

"Not completely." Shikamaru stretched as he crossed his arms. "But you tend to adopt some of the traits of the person who changed you."

"So a boring comatose person changed you?" Ino muttered.

"Believe it or not, I've always been boring and comatose."

"Funny." Ino sat up. "Well this was pointless."

Shikamaru watched her get up and soon followed. "Was it?"

"I found out nothing useful." Ino snapped. "I just want my best friend back, not any of this stupid monster bullshit that you believe for whatever reason."

"Even if you don't believe it," Shikamaru fell into step with Ino as they walked toward her house. "Doesn't change the fact that Sakura is a different person now, regardless of what happened to her."

Ino bit her lip. "I just want her back."

"I can relate."

Both fell silent for the rest of the walk until they appeared in front of Ino's house.

"I guess, I can expect to be seeing you tomorrow?" Ino asked almost amused.

"Ah, I'll be here." Shikamaru waved before turning around.

Ino watching him walk for a moment before calling out to him. "You know, even for a criminally insane psychopath, you aren't _so_ bad."

* * *

Sakura sat in the living room of the Uchiha house ready to collapse. Sasori was standing over her lecturing her.

"Now remember, don't overexert yourself, or else you aren't going to get any better." Sasori sighed. "You need rest and you'll feel much better tomorrow."

"You can stay here." Itachi suggested from the armchair across from Sakura.

"No." Sakura deadpanned. She wouldn't have stayed there anyways but she especially wouldn't now. She was still angry with Itachi for making matters worse with telling Hinata, Ino, and Tenten their secret.

"You can't drive back." Itachi reasoned.

"I'll drive her back. I drove her car here and Naruto can pick me up in mine." Sasuke pushed off against the wall and walked over to the couch Sakura was seated at.

Itachi raised an eyebrow and watched curiously as Sakura stood up and slowly walked out of the house followed by Sasuke. He didn't expect them to get along so soon and he knew it wasn't for his benefit. Maybe things between them weren't as permanently damaged as he thought.

Sasuke closed the door behind him as he then climbed into the front seat of Sakura beat up Elantra. He turned it on and drove out of the drive way with a quiet Sakura in the passenger seat. Both were silent in the car for almost half the trip before Sakura spoke.

"Thanks." She murmured as she looked out the window.

Sasuke, thrown off, hesitated before responding. Having her talk to him directly, without jaded words was nostalgic. "No problem." He muttered back as he glanced over at her softly.

The rest of the trip was followed by more silence. When he parked in her drive way, he climbed out and met Sakura in front of the car. He handed Sakura her key ring. It held three keys on the ring, one to her house, one to her car, and one to the Uchiha house. Also on the ring was a small Van Halen keychain with the logo.

She silently found her house key as she stood with Sasuke in her drive way. She was waiting for Naruto to pick him up so she could go inside but it looked like Naruto was running late again.

Sasuke inspected her car, from its paint job to its worn tires. He kneeled down and looked at them closer.

"You should probably get new tires soon. The treads are almost gone. You'll end up having no traction on the road." Sasuke explained briefly.

"Oh. Thank you." She murmured and made a note to get those changed.

A honk at the end of her drive way shocked both the teens as Sasuke's black Audi pulled into the grass with Naruto grinning at the wheel.

"Hi Sakura-chan! Hey Sasuke-teme!" Naruto grinned and he honked along with his speech.

Sasuke closed his eyes, trying to restrain from murdering the blonde. He quickly turned and gave Sakura an awkward, un-Sasuke wave. "Good night."

Sakura eyed him carefully and skeptically. "Night." She grunted. Just because she hated him didn't mean she couldn't be polite. She turned her heel and went inside her empty house.

Sasuke continued to the car, giving Naruto the look to either move his sorry ass or he was going to feel some really pain.

Naruto luckily got the message and moved as Sasuke opened the door and climbed in. Sasuke began to drive off and Naruto grinned slyly. "So, how did it go?" He winked.

Sasuke remained silent to Naruto but in his mind he congratulated himself. He did not do bad at all.

* * *

_It was your average Sunday afternoon and Sakura found herself walking down the street of her boyfriend's house hand in hand with said boyfriend. Sakura was talking about something or another and he listened as always. He was a great listener, much better than Ino. _

_ "We got in so much trouble, but it was worth it." Sakura grinned as she finished the story. She looked to her left and froze. "Oh my! Is this for sale?" _

_ Sakura let go of her boyfriend's hand and ran to the curb were a junky car stood. It was a chipped paint, dented Hyundai Elantra and was complete trash in all honesty but for whatever reason, Sakura loved it._

_ "It's all dented up." He boyfriend remarked as he inspected a rather large dent on the driver side rear. _

_ Sakura looked at her boyfriend appalled. "It has character!" She exclaimed. _

_ "It would need a paint job." He kneeled down to inspect the paint. "It shouldn't be hard to find."_

_ Sakura's eyes widened as she realized where he was going with it. "Oh no! No, I can't afford that, even if it is dirt cheap. I can't even drive by myself yet. I still have a permit."_

_ "So?"_

_ "So, it means it's just a dream." Sakura smiled as she grabbed his hand and pulled him away from her car. "I mean, I've always wanted that classic junky car that everyone would know is mine even if it looked like trash."_

_ "Why?" He asked._

_ "I thought it was cool." She shrugged. "But I'm sure my first car will fit the bill, probably better than that one." She smiled, but she noticed him look back at the car._

_ "Are you sure?" He asked curiously._

_ "Yes." She stressed._

_ But sure enough, three days later she went to get the morning paper from the drive way, he was there leaning against the beat up Elantra smirking. _

_ "Just remember, you have to wait until you have your license." He remarked dully but still smirked._

_ "How much will I end up owing you?" She asked nervously._

_ "I'm sure you can think of something I want." His smirk deepened as she tackled him into a tight hug._

_ "Thank you so much!"_

* * *

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! **

**A few people have been reviewing and messaging me about if ShikaIno is going to be in this story. Usually, I'd have you all just wait and see but since so many have pm'ed me I'll explain. For this particular story, it will be just a friendship between the two of them, just like in the Manga. I hope that answers everyone's questions. If you have anymore, don't hesitate to ask. :3**

**Anyways, thank you for reading and reviewing and such. I love you all!**

**Until next time. **


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Warning: This is a Vampire/High School AU. There will be some OOCness.**

**For Kayla, I love you!**

* * *

Today seemed like just any old Friday to the normal eye. But to the eye of a Konoha student, it was so much more than that. It was the last day of school before their month long winter break. There was a certain contagious _cheer_ in the air.

Naruto always liked winter and was excited to get into the spirt of it. He liked the cold, the snow, the lights, and just the feeling everyone had no matter what holidays they may or may not be celebrating. Plus, no school was a really nice touch.

Hinata also enjoyed this time of the year but felt that she couldn't really get into the spirit like her boyfriend could. She hadn't spoken to her friends in exactly one week and she was beginning to think things would never be the same. Ino flat out ignored her while Tenten would give her small looks across the room and then vanish. Hinata wasn't sure which hurt more.

She wasn't alone though. Naruto was constantly by her side and kept her company, but not just that. She found herself in the company of Naruto's other friends when he wasn't available, almost like they were babysitting her.

She wouldn't even really mind it if they all weren't so boring and quiet. She mostly was left with Sasuke who never spoke a word to her and acted like she wasn't even there. When walking together he usually walked so fast that she had to run after him just to keep up.

Shikamaru usually slept when she was stuck with him. Occasionally he would make small talk but it always seemed so tedious and exhausting for him that Hinata didn't try to talk often. Sometimes they would watch the clouds together and that was nice.

Neji though was a completely different story.

Hinata was angry at him for what he had done to Tenten. So much that she never wanted to be in his presence. But she sometimes was ended up forced to anyways. He broke her best friend's heart and with apparently zero remorse. She never engaged in conversation with him and he seemed to respect that. He was always polite to her though. Hinata also noticed that there was something off about him. Some days he seemed like a perfectly normal person, but other days he seemed so dark and just different. It was hard for Hinata to interpret, let alone explain so she never talked about it with Naruto.

Today though, she was thankfully with Naruto and not one of his friends. They had just finished lunch outside under their tree, despite the cold weather, and were heading inside. They were just talking about winter break and the time they would get to spend together when Naruto was yanked backyards roughly, his hand ripped from Hinata's.

Hinata turned around to find her boyfriend lying on his back with an angry red head standing before him, the red head's foot crushing Naruto's shoulder. Gaara roughly kicked Naruto, sending him a few feet across the slick pavement. Gaara's eyes were like daggers, glaring at Naruto as Naruto tried to stand up shakily.

"What the hell was that for?" Naruto yelled as he stood up inches from Gaara. Gaara wordlessly gritted his teeth menacingly into a nasty sneer and, without warning, landed a hard, but solid punch on Naruto's face.

Hinata gasped terrified as Naruto looked back up with a bloodied lip. Naruto spat some blood from his mouth and spoke again. "What is wrong with you?" Gaara again didn't respond as he took another swing. Naruto caught this one in his hand, successfully blocking it, but Gaara then kicked up and out, pushing Naruto to the ground hard.

By now, a small group had formed around the two boys, all watching excited for the fight about to take place. Gaara was ready to lunge at Naruto who was standing up slowly, his eyes growing dark with the cold intent to fight this out. If Gaara wanted to fight, Naruto would give him a fight.

He wasn't sure what Gaara's problem was. He knew Gaara didn't like him and he shouldn't for many reasons, but the two never crossed paths. Gaara was always quiet, he never outright attack people, until today.

"Hey! Stop that!" A loud voice snapped both boys out of their staring contest. Hinata looked over to see Kankuro running past the group of observer to his brother. "Gaara, what are you doing?" He asked as he noticed blood on Gaara's knuckles.

Gaara didn't respond as he continued to stare Naruto down, looking past Kankuro.

"He is trying to start a fight for whatever reason." Naruto spat some more blood on the pavement. Hinata had run over to him now and was rubbing his back worried.

Kankuro turned to see Naruto was the victim to Gaara's punches and narrowed his eyes. He let out a nasty sneer. "Well you're lucky I'm here this time." He stated coldly. Hinata noticed how he left plenty of room in that statement for it to happen again without him.

Naruto was completely confused by the brothers' hatred for him. "What did I even do to you?" They couldn't possibly know.

This time Gaara responded in a low hiss. Low enough so only Kankuro, Naruto, and Hinata could hear. "You killed my sister and I'm going to kill _you_."

Naruto's mouth gapped open and watched as Kankuro gave Naruto a deadly cold look and led his brother away. The crowd soon dissolved and Hinata looked over to Naruto.

"Are you okay?" Hinata asked worried, although her mind was wondering to what Gaara had said.

Naruto nodded his head slowly, still staring at the spot Gaara and Kankuro once stood. "I think so, for now at least." He then grabbed Hinata's hand and smiled. "Come on, let's go inside." He would have to tell Itachi about this and he would not be pleased.

* * *

Neji was about to go mad, literally insane. The dark voice in his head had grown louder than ever before and he was slowly beginning to unravel, all because he had to watch her. He wasn't even near Tenten and she was still his undoing. The voice grew louder with every second.

_**Kill the girl. Cut her throat. Drink her blood.**_ The dark voice kept chanting in his head in a very _Lord of the Flies_ sort of way. The mantra thundered loudly so that it was all he could hear no matter how much he tried to focus on other sounds.

Neji was at his breaking point and he was doing everything he could to try and not act out on those dark thoughts but he couldn't break them away. They were devouring him; swallowing him whole and leaving him in the bottom of its dark abyss where it trapped him and he couldn't break out. He could barely keep himself together in the same room as Tenten as his darkness slowly encompassed him.

So when she darted past him in the hallway, right before their last class of the day, and bumped his shoulder lightly he snapped. All it took for a small touch for Neji to completely loose his grip. The darkness covered him right up, leaving his humanity, sanity, and will trapped in a cage where he could only watch from the sidelines as his darkness moved his body like a puppet.

Neji had lost complete control like this nearly three years. That last time he lost control over the dark creature inside him, he had done unspeakable things all because he let his anger devour him. This time it was pure wanting that was his undoing and now he couldn't regain control no matter what he tried. The darkness claimed control of their shared body and now Neji fought to regain control before it did what it had been yearning to do since he had first spoke to Tenten all those months ago.

It took three easy strides to reach and grab Tenten's thin wrist, stopping her in place. Tenten turned around to see Neji standing before her, staring at her hungrily. Fear thundered throughout her body upon seeing those strange eyes.

"N-Neji?" Tenten choked upon feeling his grip tighten.

Fuck, he wanted to take her life right then.

_**Not yet.**_ The voice taunted and it was right, there were still people in the hallways and he couldn't do anything if there were witness. Not when he was going to murder this poor girl.

Once the people in the hallway had finally diminished, Neji began to drag Tenten down the hall. Tenten resisted with all her strength and futile words but Neji heard none of it. His darkness had possessed him and Neji wasn't even there anymore but even if he was, there was little to nothing he could do. The darkness inside him had taken over and was too strong. The only way he could regain control was to wait it out regardless of how much he wanted to stop himself.

Tenten dug her fingers into his skin hard, trying anything and everything to get away from him. She didn't recognize the look in his eyes. She had never seen him act like that before and it terrified her. No matter how much she said to reach him, it went to deaf ears. She struggled but he was too strong for her. Whatever Neji wanted, he was going to get it. Tenten felt fear collect in her stomach as she realized that this wasn't the Neji she knew, this was someone else.

Neji stopped at the end of the hallway where a lone door stood. Neji smirked.

_**Perfect.**_

He grabbed the handle and ripped the door nearly off its hinges before tossing Tenten inside as if she weighed nothing.

Tenten slammed against the wall and crumbled onto the floor. She looked around to see herself in a small supply closet with a single dull bulb hanging over head. The room wasn't very big, but it was big enough for what Neji had planned. Tenten slowly began to scoot herself toward the corner, although it was useless. There was no escape. Not when Neji was blocking the only exit.

Tenten felt herself tremble harshly, so much she could barely move. Her breathing sped up and came out in quick but short puffs. She didn't know what had gotten into Neji but he was not acting like himself. He was acting more like a monster and she was his prey.

Neji closed the door and felt himself surrounded by her scent. If he hadn't already lost it, he might have gone berserk from it. But he had long since passed his breaking point. He had let the darkness take over completely and it would have its fun and leave him with the messy pieces in the end. There was nothing he could do as hard as he tried.

_**Now, we can start.**_ It hissed as Neji kneeled in front of Tenten who shook in fear. It smirked darkly. Oh, her emotions were too genuine for him and he was going to savor her. He hadn't had someone's life balance in his hands for so long now and he was not just going to waste her so quickly. He was going to take his good old time and enjoy.

* * *

"Come on, you must be able to tell me something about what happened in those two months when she had disappeared." Ino complained loudly as she and Shikamaru walked toward their lockers. The school day had ended and Ino was pestering Shikamaru as much as she could in public. She found that he gave in more that way.

During the entire week of their deal, Ino and Shikamaru were inseparable. Not that he want to stay her side, but he had to stay there per Itachi's instructions. Ino wasn't letting him leave either for she had questions, thousands of questions about a pinkette he knew hardly anything about. And the things he did know were things Ino could never know. He had promised far too many people before Ino came along with their silly agreement.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Shikamaru growled as he opened his locker frustrated to have her badgering him again. He had found peace in his classes without her but she was always waiting for him as soon as they were over. He found that he wasn't even trying to stalk her anymore, he was trying to avoid her, yet she still found him.

"Yes, you do." Ino snapped as she hit the lockers in frustration, much like a little kid. If she annoyed him enough, he would fold. "Why won't you tell me?"

"There is nothing to tell." Shikamaru spat as he slammed his locker shut.

"Yeah, someone disappears for two months and no one knows or cares about what happens? I went to the police, nothing. Her parents even disappeared! I went to their jobs and no one even seemed to remember them." Ino hissed.

"Look, ask me something else, anything will do." Shikamaru sighed tiredly.

"But-"

"Anything." Shikamaru cut her off with finality in his voice. Ino sighed. If he wasn't going to fold now, he probably wasn't going to change his position anytime soon. She would wait it out and maybe pester him about it some other time.

"Fine." Ino grumbled as she and he walked down the hallway toward Ino's locker like they had done the entire week.

"Shikamaru." A cold voice called from behind, stopping them in their tracks. Ino and Shikamaru stopped and turned to see Sasuke walking toward them. He looked worried, or at least as worried as his stoic face would allow as his eyes narrowed on Shikamaru with intent. Ino watched silently as he approached and glared at her before turning to Shikamaru again. "Have you seen the dobe or Hyuga?"

Shikamaru frowned upon the mention of his friends. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't really been paying attention. Ino had been a rather big distraction over the past week and now he couldn't remember the last time he had seen either of them, at least not today.

"No."

Sasuke was not pleased. The dobe was too loud to stay hidden for this long and Hyuga, well, he didn't trust to be alone for so long. Especially with his new task of watching Tenten. "We need to find them now."

"Why?" Ino perked up as she watched with cautious eyes. She may have gotten used to Shikamaru's psychosis, but she was not ready to deal with Sasuke's too.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Why are you here? I thought we were insane." He hissed lowly.

Ino ignored him and turned to Shikamaru. "Any question." She reminded thoughtfully.

"Not now." He muttered as his eyes landed on Hinata. "Come on." He motioned for them to follow. Sasuke saw the shy girl and understood Shikamaru's intentions and followed.

Ino on the other hand was not so quick to follow. She and Hinata hadn't spoken in a week and quite frankly, Ino had been avoiding her. There was only so much crazy she could handle and she hated seeing it painted all over Hinata's innocent face. But she followed Shikamaru and Sasuke anyways, she was too curious to let them leave her behind, especially since she had been granted invitation. Ino was bold, not stupid. She wasn't going to waste this opportunity.

Shikamaru stopped in front of Hinata. "Where is Naruto?" He asked quickly as he looked around to see if the blonde would just appear.

Hinata blinked in surprise as her eyes landed on Ino. She wet her lips nervously as she looked at Shikamaru. "T-The bathroom."

"You've been with him all day?" Sasuke asked looking for confirmation which he received with a head nod. Sasuke instantly disappeared.

"Thanks." Shikamaru waved offhandedly as he followed Sasuke.

Hinata watched confused as the two boys went into the bathroom, slamming the door behind them. She looked at Ino to see Ino avoiding her gaze by looking at the bathroom door they had disappeared from.

"D-Do you know what's w-wrong?" She susurrated barely audibly to anyone but Ino.

Ino, still not meeting Hinata's sad eyes, shrugged. "I don't know."

The two fell into a silence as they waited for the boys to exit the bathroom. Hinata wanted to initiate conversation but was fearful of Ino's harass criticism so both remained mute.

Sasuke and Shikamaru burst into the bathroom to see Naruto standing in front of the mirror. He was inspecting his lip which looked a little red, very much improved from the two hours ago when it was torn open and bleeding freely.

Sasuke stalked over to the blonde and grabbed his hair and pulled hard, forcing him to make eye contact, blue eyes widened with fear and black one glared with rage. "Where the hell have you been?" He snarled lowly.

Naruto jumped as he met Sasuke's eyes. "Hiding!" He yelped honestly, trying to get away from his angry best friend.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "From who?" He bit out. He had been looking for this idiot all day and he was hiding. Sasuke felt like he was going to lose it.

Naruto met Shikamaru's eyes and looked away toward the ground. "Gaara and Kankuro." He whispered hoping that neither of them would hear.

Shikamaru didn't move upon hearing the two boys' names. "Why?" He murmured still watching Naruto carefully. He was pretty sure he knew the answer, it wasn't the first time the two brothers had clashed with them.

Sasuke let go of the blonde with complete understanding. "They think you did it?"

Naruto nodded his head, answering their questions as he fixed his hair in the mirror. "He tried to attack me after lunch." He pointed to his lip. "I was just lying low until after school and then I was going to tell Itachi that they are sniffing around again."

Sasuke spun around and walked off. "We need to find Hyuga and get back home now." He hissed back. Naruto and Shikamaru followed quickly both knowing that now was not the time to be fooling around.

Hinata and Ino were waiting outside of the bathroom as the three boys exited. Naruto gave Hinata a small wave. He turned to her. "Have you seen Neji?"

Hinata shook her head quickly. "Not since this morning."

Shikamaru looked around. "He can't have just disappeared." All three boys immediately went to the worst possible conclusion. He couldn't have relapsed, could he?

"Maybe he is at home!" Naruto smiled optimistically trying not to think about the worst. "He always was good a predicting our moves."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed at a girl at the end of the hallway and quickly walked over to her without giving the others a single word. Shikamaru and Naruto looked ahead to see Sakura at her locker and both boys exchanged similar looks before following, Hinata and Ino confusedly in tow.

Sasuke slammed Sakura's locker but she remained standing there staring at the closed door unsurprised. She slowly rolled her eyes up to Sasuke's prompting him to speak. She could see his eyes were dark and serious. Something was wrong.

"Have you seen Neji?" He asked with a hint of worry in his voice.

Sakura narrowed her eyes at Sasuke before turning to the four who had followed. She chose to ignore the two girls and only focus on Shikamaru and Naruto. Seeing them not knowing either, she decided to look at the girls who looked confused and slightly surprised to see her making eye contact.

"Where is Tenten?" She asked simply.

Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Naruto froze at her simply question and knew immediately where she was going with this, especially since they had just come to that conclusion as well. They watched Ino and Hinata who both didn't seem to know.

"Not sure." Ino mumbled, clearly not liking that idea of Neji missing with her friend, especially if he had the same level of psychosis as the others in his group.

Hinata shook her head, she didn't know either and begun to feel her heart race nervously.

Sakura looked directly at Sasuke. "You left him alone with her." It was phrased more as a sentence than a question but Sasuke still answered.

"He said he could handle it." He responded although he knew he shouldn't have been so confident in Neji's control. He barely could handle it a couple of weeks ago. Sasuke couldn't fathom why Itachi was pushing Neji when he already had proved to be dangerous time and time again.

"And you believed him?" Sakura shook her head appalled by the Uchiha and stalked off with the five teens at her heels.

"Sakura-chan, where are you going?" Naruto questioned worried. He was hoping she would stick around to help but from where she was heading, he was guessing not.

Sakura shrugged indifferently and she kept walking toward the exit of the school. She was going to let Itachi know what was up rather than waste time looking for a guy who clearly didn't want to be found. She knew from experience if he stayed hidden, it was rare anyone would find him. And if his darkness took over, it was not going to be a pretty sight. All the more reason to get Itachi's assistance on this, just like the last time.

It was when she got to the end of the hallway she froze. She blinked in surprised and suddenly felt her stomach drop with the cold hard truth. She turned to Sasuke and looked him directly in the eyes. "Do you smell that?"

Sasuke's dark eyes widened ever so slightly as he inhaled the air. Naruto and Shikamaru both realized it as well. It was faint but all four of them could smell it.

"Smell what?" Ino snapped, clearly not liking being left in the dark.

"Blood." Shikamaru answered simple as he kept looking at Sakura. "Can you find him?"

Sakura nodded her head once and closed her eyes. She was a pretty good tracker with the help of Itachi but even without him, she should be able to follow the scent. She immediately started walking away from the exit and towards the door at the end of the hall.

It was an ordinary supply closet, like the many that were posted all around the school. She inhaled and could tell the smell was coming from there. It was still rather faint but maybe Neji hadn't gotten very far. She looked at the door and listened closely. She could hear shuffling inside.

Sakura quickly reached for the door, not wanting to waste any more time if they were all correct about what Neji was doing, and ripped it open. All froze at the sight within the small dingy closet.

Neji held Tenten up by her waist and pushed against the closet wall as she weakly tried to get away from him. Her movements were slow and uncooperative. She didn't seem to have any strength left in her and Neji was the cause. He was sucking it all away from her neck. His face was buried in the crook as he sucked away her life.

Ino and Hinata watched, both petrified. Ino, not believing in the whole 'vampire thing' was taken completely off guard and nearly fainted at the sight. She wasn't even sure if it was Neji's psychosis causing him to act like this or because he actually was what they all claimed to be.

Hinata who did believe in the 'vampire thing' was still taken by surprise and shook at the sight. Never in a million years would she have thought her best friend would be getting her blood sucked from a vampire.

Sakura wasted no time walking into the closet and literally ripping Neji away, pulling him off like a leech. His teeth torn Tenten's skin and she weakly yelped in pain but Sakura wasn't concerned with that. Neji had gone berserk and she was focused at keeping him at bay before she could even think about assisting Tenten.

Neji slammed against the opposite side of the supply closet and locked eyes with Sakura. His eyes were not his normal, bored ones, but had been replaced with feral ones with intense veins rippling on his temples. His fangs were fully extended and were coated in bright red blood that also stained his lips. He let out a sharp snarl as he went to lunge at Sakura who growled back.

Sasuke and Naruto immediately grabbed him and held him back with their combined strength so that he would not lunge back. Neji growled sharply, his eyes cold and possessive as Sakura kneeled over Tenten who collapsed on the ground, blood dripping from her neck in a small pool. He twisted and turned in Sasuke and Naruto's grip, trying to get loose, and almost succeeding. In his mouth, his teeth were fully extended and letting out an angry growl.

_**"Get away."**_ Neji snarled as the darkness spoke through him. His teeth snapping like a rabid dog.

She ignored him and rested her hand over Tenten's wound, healing it slowly and carefully. As her fingertips danced over the wound, the skin began to repair itself as well as the rips beneath the skin. He had ripped her artery and without him there to control the flow, it was gushing. She had to be care in repairing it and not let any more blood spill. It was a delicate process but she was very well trained.

_**"She is mine. Get the fuck away. I get to kill her and then you." **_ Neji barked, fighting Sasuke and Naruto's restrains and almost actually breaking through a couple of times.

"Will one of you just knock him out and shut him up?" Sakura snapped, flaring with a hint of emotion before withdrawing and turning back to Tenten. With a dull voice she continued. "Shikamaru, make sure no one is coming. Too many people have seen this." She referred to Hinata and Ino briefly as she continued to work silently.

Sasuke quickly silence Hyuga and let him fall limp to the floor. As long as he was passed out, he wouldn't harm a fly. Sasuke kept an eye on the fallen boy and Naruto ran over to a shaking Hinata and a pale Ino. Naruto engulfed the Hyuga girl in a small hug and clung to her.

"Shush now, its okay." He whispered over and over again and Hinata clung back.

Ino seemed to find her voice and croaked, "I-Is she going to be okay?" She looked over to Tenten who was as white as snow.

Shikamaru who was leaning against the wall playing look out answered this. "Yeah, Sakura is pretty good at healing wounds." Although he wasn't sure. None of them knew how much she had loss and the only one who could tell was lying on the floor out cold with his darkness running through him.

Sakura slowly stood up from Tenten whose neck was in one piece again but was out cold. "We need to get her to Sasori." She murmured turning to the others. Her eyes were a cold jade color.

Shikamaru made a move to go and assist but froze as he heard two sets of angry feet. He looked over and cursed upon seeing Gaara and Kankuro walking toward him. Sakura looked and could see both brothers with cold intent in their eyes.

"What are you guys doing?" Gaara hissed as he tried to look into the supply closet that Naruto was blocking with the assistance of Hinata and Ino.

"Chilling." Shikamaru shrugged bored although he hoped they would just leave. Tenten wouldn't last long if she wasn't at the Uchiha house soon.

Kankuro grabbed Shikamaru's shirt roughly and pulled him over so they were face to face. "Bullshit." He glowered.

"You two need to leave." Sakura snarled.

Gaara eyed her. "Why?"

Sakura narrowed her eyes at the red head who wanted to test Sakura's limit. She walked closely toward him and whispered harshly. "Because you owe me." She reminded him of a deal they had made long ago. Sakura could only hope that he still valued their deal.

Gaara flinched at her words and Kankuro let go of Shikamaru's shirt enough so Shikamaru could pull away. Gaara nodded his head. "Fine, but after this, I owe you shit, Haruno. I'll find out what you are up to, all of you." He vowed his eyes locked with Sakura's. As far as Gaara was concerned, she was just as guilty as the rest of them.

Sakura rolled her eyes and waved him off. "Get the fuck out of here."

Shikamaru could only watch confused as Sakura went into the closet as the two boys disappeared. She silently instructed Naruto and Sasuke to handle Neji who was still knocked out cold and then she pointed at Shikamaru to grab Tenten. No one had time to ask what had just transpired between Sakura and the two boys. Not with Tenten fading quickly.

They walked to the parking lot where Sasuke's car stood. "We'll take Tenten." Shikamaru explained. "You'll have to take Neji."

Sakura nodded her head and helped Naruto bring him to her car as Sasuke, Shikamaru carrying Tenten got into his car. Hinata and Ino watched them speed off, unsure what to do except follow Naruto and Sakura who were dragging Neji to the shitty Elantra.

Sakura opened the truck and Naruto pushed Neji inside without any care to how he landed. Neji had fallen low in Naruto's books and it wasn't because of his darkness. Neji couldn't control that. It was because Neji was weak. He was too weak to admit when he was wrong and he needed help. That was why they were in their current predicament, because Neji was weak and Naruto wouldn't forgive him for that. There is no such thing as weakness if you have friends to help you, but apparently Neji didn't value that motif like Naruto did.

As far as being in the trunk, it was the safest place for him. If Neji were to wake up, he couldn't really get out as quickly and it would give them more time to get to safety. It also kept him away from anyone that he could hurt. It was a nice temporary prison.

Sakura climbed into the driver's seat and Ino and Hinata looked at Naruto questioningly. Naruto nodded his head and urged them into the back seat quickly. He knew they were worried about their friend and were feeling helpless; the least he could do was let them come along. Sakura barely waiting until the doors were closed before speeding off toward the Uchiha house as fast as her little car would run.

"So it's true." Ino whispered from the back seat and she looked at Hinata an unreal expression on her face.

Hinata nodded her head. "I-I'm a-afraid so."

Naruto turned around in his seat. "It's okay though! Tenten will be alright, we are taking her back to Sasuke's and Itachi will help her." Naruto reassured brightly. "Just," He paused and looked at them earnestly. "Please don't think we are all like that. We aren't all that bad. We are still people." He was speaking more to Hinata than Ino but both of them need to hear this.

Ino and Hinata looked unsure and then Sakura spoke. "No." Sakura shattered the image Naruto was trying to build. "We aren't people." She shook her head, tightening her hands on the steering wheel. "We are monsters."

* * *

_"Psssst." Sakura whispered as she poked her boyfriend in the chest. It was the middle of the night and she couldn't sleep even though her boyfriend was sound asleep. "Wake up." She ordered even though it was unfair to wake him up just because she couldn't fall asleep._

_ His eyes fluttered open and he glared at her. "What?"_

_ Sakura blushed lightly before whispering to him. "I'm hungry."_

_ Her boyfriend clenched his eyes shut, restraining himself from strangling the annoying pinkette in his bed. "What do you want me to do about it?"_

_ Sakura grinned. "Can we get pizza?"_

_ He sat up and stared at her. "How hungry are you?"_

_ "Hungry enough for pizza." She reasoned as she crawled out of his bed and urging him to do the same. "Please."_

_ He swung his legs over the edge of his bed and leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. "You want me to order a pizza at," He looked at the clock on his nightstand. "Three in the morning?"_

_ "Yes." Sakura smiled happily. "Please, please!"_

_ He climbed out of his bed and groaned. "You really want this?"_

_ "It would make me the happiest girl in the world." She promised as she grabbed his phone and thrust it into his hands._

_ "Fine." He muttered as he begun to dial. "You want the usual?"_

_ Sakura nodded her head, pleased that her boyfriend knew what she wanted on her pizza automatically. "You are the best!"_

_ "Yeah." He agreed as he started talking to the 24 hour pizza place and ordered their pizza. He hung up and gave her back his phone to put away. He didn't want it near him. "It will be here in half an hour."_

_ "So…what are we going to do till then?" Sakura asked but she knew he boyfriend eagerly wanted to go back to bed and sleep._

_ "I don't think it matters what I want." He rubbed his tired eyes. "You already have something in mind."_

_ "Well," She tiptoed over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "We can finally beat the high score in battle mode." She grinned. "I'm sure it will upset someone." She smirked, already knowing the look on their friend's face when he found out his best friend and his best friend's girlfriend and obliterated his high score with their new one._

_ Her boyfriend couldn't help but smirk as the same thought crossed his mind. "Deal."_

_ Sakura jumped happily and ran for the door. Her boyfriend could help but chuckle. She turned around confused by the rare laugh. He never did much and according to his friends and Temari, he never did around them so Sakura prided herself in the ability to make him laugh, although she wasn't sure what she did this time to make him do so._

_ "What?" She asked, hand on her hips. _

_ He brushed past her and whispered in her ear. "You might want to wear a little something more than just my shirt."_

* * *

**So...that' was an intense chapter. Sorry about the fighting scene, I find them difficult to write...Regardless, I still hope you enjoyed this chapter. :) A lot more things are coming to light now!**

**So thank you all for reading! I love you all 3. Please review. Until next time.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Warning: This is a Vampire-High School AU. There will be some OOCness, oops.**

* * *

Sakura could not believe her eyes. Never before would she'd have imagine this group of people to be standing together, _especially_ under these circumstances. Then again, she never imagined having to talk to any of these people. Naruto and Hinata leaned against the wall holding hands and murmuring something that only each other could hear. Hinata's tears were still trickling down her face but not nearly as intense as a few hours ago. Next to them, Ino stood impatiently with Shikamaru at her shoulder. Ino hands were shaking ever so slightly, but she held a strong face. Both Ino and Shikamaru didn't say anything for their minds were on other topics. At the foot of the bed, Sasuke stood and listened to Sasori talk about Tenten, who was lying in the bed as pale as a ghost from Neji's attack. Neji was locked away deep below the house.

Regardless of what had brought them all together, Sakura knew it was inevitable now. She had tried to stop them from entering her life for so long, nearly three years of effort, but apparently it only took Hinata to fall in love, Ino to get so desperate that she forgot her own beliefs, and for Tenten to get nearly killed for Sakura to finally fold and let herself be in the same room as them. Mind you, she wasn't going to let them back in. Sakura had been through more than they could understand or want to know. She had changed and wasn't anywhere near how she was before. They wouldn't understand and Sakura didn't want them to try. She left them because she wanted them to be happy since all of hers had been ripped away.

Sakura, from her position on the frame of the door, could feel a presence behind her and turned around to see Itachi waiting to be grant entry. Sakura swiftly moved to the side and let him through. He looked over everyone and they all fell silent. He focused his eyes on Tenten for a long moment before turning back to Sakura.

"A moment?" He asked but Sakura knew it was a demand. She moved aside for Itachi to walk past her and out the door again. She followed, closing the door behind her. Just because she had fought this battle with them, didn't mean they had any business in what she and Itachi talked about. She still trusted him more than she could ever trust any of them and not because they were distrustful or anything, but because Itachi had done so much for her the past three years that it exceeded anything she had faced with the others by sheer severity.

"Yes?" Sakura asked after a few moments of silence.

"The girl," Itachi cut straight to the chase. "How is she?"

"Tenten will be alright." Sakura answered like the good subordinate she was.

"And you?" Itachi asked reminded Sakura that she had also been attacked just last week.

"I'm fine." Sakura responded quickly. "What happened to Neji?"

As soon as they had arrived at the house, Sakura had gotten Itachi where he then instructed Kisame, Kakuzu, and Hidan to take care of the boy. Sakura had not heard or had seen him since.

"He is locked up in the same place as our other guest." Itachi explained. Sakura nodded her head in understand.

In the Uchiha house, the basement was not the lowest point. There was a trap door behind the bar that led to a 'second basement'. Inside this basement is where Itachi held dangerous equipment, weapons, materials, and at times, people. There were a couple cages set up down below for those who went berserk. There was one person though who constantly remained while others were let out after they had regained control. Neji was a frequent visitor of the second basement. This was his ninth time down there.

"You are going to have to find a more permanent solution." Sakura retorted with a roll of her eyes. "Locking him down there until he calms only sedates him, not fixes him."

"You know as well as I do that there is no cure for what he has." Itachi's eyes lit up. "But I have a hunch on something to help him."

Sakura raised her eyebrows but didn't question him on what. If he wanted to tell her, he would. Asking was just wasted breath. "What are you going to do about them?" Sakura nodded her head in the direction of the room she had just exited, referencing the three human girls inside.

Luckily for Tenten, Neji didn't have his grip on her long enough to kill her and therefore change her, but it doesn't erase what she and the other witnessed and what they now know.

"I imagine Miss Hyuga won't be leaving us so soon. If she hasn't been scared away from Naruto yet, she won't be any time in the near future." Itachi reasoned with a faint frown. "As for the other two, I wouldn't be surprised if they ran as soon as they could, but they won't be able to go far. They know too much and they now have to be handled carefully. We have to show them we aren't all bad and that we trust them so they will in turn trust us."

"What about their questions surrounding Temari?" Sakura asked in a bitter tone. "We can only keep Temari buried for so long. They will soon be asking questions and be able to connect the pieces."

"I think enough is going on at the moment to give us some time to think of a solution to that problem. Our main task is making sure we are on the same page as them." Itachi reminded Sakura before letting out a long sigh. "Is there anything else I should be worried about?"

Sakura was tempted to relieve Itachi of more stress. He had done so much for her, but she wasn't going to keep him out of this. He was in charge and needed to know everything, besides if she didn't it would bite them in the ass later.

"Gaara and Kankuro are at it again." Sakura stated but could almost see the stress pile on Itachi's shoulders. Even Atlas wouldn't be able to carry all the stress Itachi was carrying. "They almost found Neji and Tenten."

"I take it you took care of them?" Itachi asked.

"For now, but they will be back. It's going to take a little more than a deal with them to get them away from us." Sakura spoke ominously. She didn't really want anything to happen to Gaara and Kankuro, for Temari's sake, but if they kept meddling in their business, there would have to be blood. She just hoped that they would let it go, but she could recognize the determination in their eyes, very similar to Temari's. When they were dead set on something, it was near impossible to shake them off.

"Let's just deal with one thing at a time." Itachi closed his eyes; arranging all his problems in a neat line. "First, we make sure our new guests trust us and are safe, until then we can even begin to deal with the snake or the two brothers."

"Understood." Sakura nodded her head in a soldier like fashion.

"Good. I can trust you to keep an eye on everything here while I go check on Neji?" Itachi asked and without waiting for a response, he continued. "When Tenten wakes up, I would like to speak to everyone."

Sakura watched Itachi walk down the stairs and turned back to the door. She would follow Itachi's commands if it meant lightening his stress. She owed him so much and she would do anything to repay her debt it to him. Once Itachi got everything sorted out though, Sakura would be gone.

She slowly opened the door to see Sasori running his hands over Tenten's neck, continuously checking the healing on her neck and adjusting the course it took. Naruto was rubbing Hinata's back as she and Ino were now talking and holding hands, their friendship seeming to be restored. Shikamaru leaned against the wall with his eyes closed. Sasuke was the only person to notice Sakura reappear at the door and watch her with his eyes hidden by his dark raven hair.

Sakura looked over and met his eyes even through the veil of hair. She quickly looked away, not being able to hold his gaze for very long. Her angry bubbling in her every time and all those repressed memories then followed. For now, she focused on settling her debt, than she could forget about Uchiha Sasuke for good.

* * *

Neji was cold. Even before he was fully awake, he knew where he was simply because of the frozen chill running up his spine. It was the type of cold that he could only associate with one place and cursed as he held the familiar cold metal under his fingers tips.

He opened his white eyes to see a metal roof above his head, only to confirm his location. He was in a cage; one very familiar to him for it was his cage. He had even marked it was tallies on the ceiling, marking the amount of days he had been in there. There were a disturbing amount of days.

He then felt it, a dull throbbing pain in his mouth and he realized his fangs were still hanging out, poking at his lip. He retracted them and was met by the sudden release of tension that had been building up.

He almost felt at peace, despite of what he had just done and where he was. Neji had come to peace with what he was a long time ago. He knew that what he just did would happen again, no matter how hard he tried. He had tried everything but it all failed and he could find peace in that absolute truth and fate. That meant there was no room for there to be other possibilities. Neji thrived in the definite. His one regret is that he had hurt her, Tenten. She didn't deserve any of this, none of them ever did. He always regretted hurting them; he could only hope he didn't go too far.

He was about to fall into a guilt and regret filled sleep but he heard it. A sound he had not missed from his times down in the cages of the second basement. It was the true hell down here, not the cage and its restricted space or the lack of freedom, or even the fact that he had to sulk in his mistakes, no he already had to deal with that above. But at least up there he didn't have to listen to _her_.

In the second basement, there was one permanent resident. She had come along with Sasori when he had joined Itachi and she had been in the basement since then. She had killed many and also subjected them to a life much like his own. Her name was Chiyo.

Chiyo was an elderly woman but was far older than she appeared to be. She had aged gray hair that was held in place by a brown head band. She had a few moles that cover her wrinkle face. Her eyes were beetle black and held pure evil in them. Luckily, Chiyo lost her flare long ago along with her voice except for one word that she would repeat over and over ago. Diablo. The devil.

Neji was instantly hit with the chanting of Chiyo as she recognized him and began speaking to him in the only word she knew.

"Diablo, diablo, diablo, diablo." She chanted in the same cursing voice as she glared at Neji.

He gritted his teeth and was tempted to snap at her when a wave of pain struck him. It often happened after the darkness would take over. He would have to fight for control of his own body and that was the true reason he was kept in here. It wasn't so much of a cage as it was a battle arena for Neji's darkness and humanity to fight it out over the prime real estate that was his physical form.

This body was weak and so was the control of both residents. It would be a long and painful battle, but Neji knew he could win. He had done it several times before but the physical and emotional pain he was going to have to face was not welcomed. The darkness in Neji knew all his weaknesses and knew just where to hit him to make him crumble.

_**You failed**_**. **The voice snarled in his head, making his ears ring as Chiyo's chant continued in the background. Neji tried to push the dark thoughts out but they continued onward. _**You really are a failure and a disgrace. If you can't even please yourself, how can you ever find peace?**_ It taunted in his head. Even though Neji was used to it, it still had too strong of an effect on him. All Neji ever desired was peace.

The door connected the first and second basement opened and Neji found himself finally having something else to focus on other than the dark voice in his head and Chiyo's mantra. Being able to visually focus on something always helped him gain control, but unfortunately the person entering the second basement was not going to make any of this better.

"Hello, Neji." Itachi eyed Neji from the other, free, side of the cage. Upon hearing Chiyo's chant, Itachi turned and with one glare the old woman shut up. He turned back to Neji. "I believe you know why you are down here."

"Yes." Neji replied with a plain expression, masking to struggle and pain he was going through with his fight with darkness.

"I see, and how are you coping?" Itachi asked although he could see from Neji's pale complexion and the sweat collected on his brow that the boy was going to be in for a rough time. It wasn't that Neji didn't deserve this or far more. Neji did and ten times more, it was just Itachi couldn't help but feel like he was to blame for Neji being here in the first place. The boy was a lost cause and would do more damage outside of Itachi's care. Itachi just wished he could help him more than locking him in a cage. Unfortunately Itachi had more things to worry about than problems he didn't know how to fix.

Neji didn't answer Itachi's question and instead asked his own. "What happened to…?" He didn't need to finish his question for Itachi to know what he meant.

"You lucked out. Well, actually she did." Itachi corrected himself. "She is alive." Itachi stated as he watched relief flood into Neji's eyes. "Just because she is alive doesn't change the fact that you nearly killed her."

"I know that."

"Good." Itachi nodded his head. "How is your dark friend doing?"

Neji gritted his teeth and gasped in pain as the darkness won the tug of war the darkness and his humanity had been playing and spoke. _**"I will kill her, mark my words Itachi."**_ The dark Neji hissed.

Itachi could see the change in Neji as this force took over him and felt pure pity for Neji who was trapped in there. "We'll see about that."

Neji seemed to be able to slowly regained control as he choked out to Itachi who was walking about. "Itachi, wait!"

Itachi paused and turned back to Neji who was on all fours panting. "Yes?"

"Promise me, you won't let me near her again." Neji glared at Itachi fiercely.

Itachi was rather surprised by the Hyuga's words but nodded his head. "Fine."

"Thank you." Neji said before choking on his own words as the darkness tried to speak again. _**"You may think you can keep me here, but once I escape I'll have your head."**_

Itachi shook his head and slowly ascended the stairs to go back to the basement. Neji was in a war for himself again and Neji would win, Itachi was sure of it. He had done it many times before; he will be able to do it again.

Neji wasn't so sure as he pushed the darkness aside. He might have been able to before when the darkness had been satisfied but Tenten was the first to live through his attack and the darkness was not satisfied by not being able to claim her life. If anything, the darkness was more powerful than ever.

As soon as the door to the first basement was closed and second basement grew dark, Neji felt the darkness receded but only enough for him to be able to sit up. As soon as he did though, Chiyo began again with her mantra and Neji wondered if it was really the only word the crazy woman could say or it was just the only word she could associate with him.

"Diablo, diablo, diablo…"

* * *

Sasori was quite impressed with the girl before him. It took a lot to impress Sasori but Tenten had definitely left an impression. She faced Neji and lived. She was the first of his victims to do such a feat.

Sasori was familiar with Neji's tendencies as was everyone who lived in the Uchiha house. Never had Sasori heard of Neji's darkness stalking and preying upon someone more than once while at the same time, Neji was talking to them. Usually it was one solid kill. Usually, Neji never personally associated with them, save for one other case. Usually, the darkness only did one stalk and killed the same night. Whatever had happened this time, Sasori was nearly positive it was the girl lying in the bed in front of him.

Aside from the fact that she faced him, her body held no scars. Sasori had done a quick check up on her when he had first seen her to make sure Neji didn't leave any permanent markings but there were none to be found on her except for the one on her neck obviously and even then, Sakura had taken care of it for the most part. It was faint for now, but it would go away within a few weeks with some repetitive healing. Usually during these attacks, Neji's darkness was ruthless and would literally shred the body.

Regardless, from what Sasori could tell, Neji had been extremely careful with Tenten. But Tenten was not done impressing Sasori for when he began to check her neck again he was met by a tired pair of brown eyes staring up at him. He blinked in shock. Tenten should not have been able to wake up so soon after her attack and yet here she was, looking up at him with pain and confusion in her eyes.

Sasori paused his movements, not quite sure he was supposed to do next. He looked behind him and everyone seemed to be off in their own world. He coughed rather loudly, hoping to get someone's attention.

"What?" Sasuke grunted as he looked over at Sasori annoyed. It wasn't that he and Sasori had any issues with each other; it was just that Sasuke had a problem with all of Itachi's friends.

"She is up." Sasori stated blankly.

"What?" Ino exclaimed, jumping from her seat and rushing to the bed with Hinata hot on her heels. "Tenten!"

Tenten looked up with tears of relief. The last thing she remembered was being dragged off by Neji and she honestly had no idea where she was. Seeing the familiar faces instantly brought her comfort.

"A-Are you okay?" Hinata asked nervously.

Tenten looked over at Hinata with tear filled eyes, everything that had happened over the last week, especially today washed over her and she finally broke down. Tenten grabbed Hinata's hand for comfort and simply cried. Ino and Hinata sat in silence and comforted Tenten the best they could.

The memories slowly rushed over her in waves. It was all coming back. The sharp and demanding hands, the painful bite, the blood. It hit Tenten hard causing her to let out a strangled sob. The only comfort she received was the gentle rubs on her back from Ino and the warm embrace of Hinata.

Sasori sat in the sit along the wall and looked out the window. She was up and with one last checkup he could go, but first he would have to wait until she calmed down.

Naruto was grinning widely. Tenten would be fine and everything was going to be okay. He was sure of it. Hinata had reconciled with Ino and soon Tenten. They all knew everything they needed to know. And now there was the possibility of them reconciling with Sakura. Everyone would be happy and safe.

Shikamaru couldn't help but feel the tension in his shoulders vanish. He felt guilty for what had happened to Tenten. There were many things he could have done to prevent it, yet he didn't it. He was ashamed of himself for not doing something and knew that if Temari were here, she would be so disappointed in him, just like Sakura had said all those weeks, months, ago. But seeing the three girls together and the relief on all their faces was enough to put Shikamaru at ease.

Sasuke on the other hand didn't really care for the sight before him. He had no emotional connections to any of these girls. He turned and looked at Sakura who was watching with cold distant eyes. There, Sasuke felt guilt. He knew, deep down, Sakura was hurting. Sakura missed them, regardless of what she told them, Itachi, herself. She could lie to anyone but Sasuke would always know the truth.

* * *

Sakura exited the room. After watching the touching scene before her, she was met with the cold judgment of a certain Uchiha. She left as soon as their eyes met. She couldn't stand how he felt that he could read her. He couldn't. He knew nothing about her. They were practically strangers in this new life. He doesn't know shit.

Sakura let the waves of hatred roll off her as she regained her composure. That was one trait from her past that she couldn't shake off. She always let her emotions flare out, especially strong ones.

Sakura walked down the hallway and down the stairs to the first floor of the Uchiha house. She looked down towards the basement. She knew she should go down there and talk to Itachi, but she opted against it. She knew who he was talking to now and she had no intention of going down there. She might just kill the Hyuga.

Instead, she found herself drift toward a particularly dusty artifact on the first floor. Tucked away into the wall, was a dusty tarp covered upright piano. She let her fingers brush some off the dust off the tarp before removing the entire thing completely.

The upright piano was a deep mahogany with gold lettering and gold leaf emblems. Sakura lifted the fall board to reveal creamy ivory and inky ebony keys. Sakura lightly pressed one of the keys and let the dull note hum in the air. She didn't know how to play, but she always admired the beauty of the instrument and those who could play it.

"You never did learn to play." Itachi murmured. "You were too impatient." Sakura turned her head around to acknowledge him before turning back to the piano and covering the keys again with the fall board.

"She is up." Sakura muttered.

"And that's why you are down here." Itachi stated. Sakura didn't move as she traced her fingers over the smooth wood. "I have a task for you."

Sakura abandoned the piano, which she had before long forgotten and faced Itachi. "What do you need me to do?" She asked as a loyal subordinate.

"Deliver a message." Itachi stated.

"To?"

"The Snake."

* * *

Itachi had long ago finished his conversation with Sakura and had sent her off but he had not left the first level quiet yet. It had been ages since he really just been there. Sure, he had many talks with his subordinates and little brother there, but he had not just simple sat and reminisce.

He sat down on the piano bench that Sakura had been previously occupying. He brushed his fingers across the wood. He remembered a time when his mother would constantly be at the piano and music would fill the house. Sasuke had especially loved listening to her play and even went as far as to learn a few songs, but nothing ever serious.

Itachi never had time for such things for he took after his father. He studied hard in school and was the obedient son. He was meant to be a purposeful role model for his little brother and a figure that was meant to have power. Being the oldest son, he had a lot of pressures but he thrived in that arena.

But none of that mattered to Itachi, as long as Sasuke was safe and happy, Itachi was happy. Right now though, he had failed. His entire carefully orchestrated structure was threatening to crumble with threats from the Snake and the two brothers. Their secrets were no longer secrets with the three girls fully immersed in their lives for the long run. Everyone was starting to get cabin fever and Itachi was not enough of a fool to think that Neji would be the only one to go berserk. No, he was simply just the first to react and if Itachi didn't fix _all _of it…well it wouldn't be pretty. After that, then he could focus on fixing his relationship with his brother which had always been in a fragile state.

Itachi rested his head on the dark wood of the piano. With everything weighing down on him, he really cherished the moments when he could think back to a simpler time. Back to a time when Neji had his shit together. Back to a time when Naruto was a harmless idiot. Back to a time when Shikamaru actually lived. Back to a time when Sasuke wasn't living in self-hate. Back to a time when Sakura smiled.

Itachi stood up rapidly. He didn't have time to think about trivial things such as the past, not when he had to focus on his impeding future that could risk everything he had been carefully building.

Itachi exited the first floor and because his trek up the stairs. He needed to get moving. He needed to evaluate where they all stood and those three girls, while they may not know it, played a pinnacle role in how he moved next.

He slowly approached the door and noticed it was open. He gazed inside to see the girl Neji had attacked, Tenten, sitting up in the bed. Naruto's girl, Hinata, stood by the bed rubbing the other girl's back. Shikamaru's stalker, Ino, was also standing nearby with a worried look in her eyes. The three girls seemed to be in low conversation, Tenten crying softly. Itachi felt slight guilt for sending Neji on this girl but he needed to gage Neji's control, he had just miscalculated. That seemed to be happening a lot of the late.

The three boys in the room were all watching the girls as they comforted each other. Naruto and Shikamaru were leaning against the wall, Naruto almost ready to pounce at the slightest need of help. Shikamaru had a much more lazy posture and look in his eyes but he was watching them with the same care. Sasuke was the only one that seemed absolutely uninterested in the three girls, which was understandable. He didn't have any sort of relation with them and he never seemed to care to. There was only one thing his little brother held any sort of care for and it was not in this room.

Sasori was the first to notice Itachi come in. He stood up from his seat and walked toward Itachi. Everyone fell silent as Sasori met Itachi at the doorway.

"She has made a remarkable recovery, simply being able to sit up in her bed and awake is more than I was expecting." Sasori stated with slight awe.

"Any lasting damage?" Itachi asked, all six of the teenagers listening carefully.

Sasori glanced at Tenten as he spoke, "No. She is lucky."

"I doubt that." Itachi murmured. He didn't believe she was lucky. He didn't really believe in luck to begin with. No, Neji had been careful, that much was obvious.

"I still need to do a final checkup but-"

"Do it later, I would like to talk to these three girls _alone_." Itachi emphasized as he sent a warning look over to Naruto, Shikamaru, and Sasuke. "Now."

Sasori ducked out of the room easily. He didn't really want to be there, he was only there because Itachi ordered him too. Sasuke left right after, equally detached from the people in the room. He was only there to keep an eye on things. Shikamaru left at a much slower pace but left without a word.

Naruto was very reluctant. He stood his ground for a long moment, watching Hinata very careful. Itachi let out a length sigh and nodded his head toward the door. Naruto took a step towards Hinata. "I'll be right outside the door."

Hinata nodded her head and Naruto finally walked out. "Don't worry." Itachi stopped Naruto. "We are only going to have a small chat. It'll only take a few minutes." Naruto nodded his head and closed the door behind him, leaving Itachi with the three girls. He made eye contact with Tenten. "How are you feeling?"

Tenten was hesitant to answer, but the demanding stare from Itachi caused the words for fall from her mouth. "I'm fine."

Itachi nodded his head and gazed at Ino. She seemed like the leader of their small trio so she would be the one to speak for all of them. "So what is your next plan of action, ladies?"

Itachi and Ino held eye contact for a long time. Ino was the first to break it and looked down. "I don't know." Itachi raised a single brow and Ino continued. "Whatever happens next, I'm sure you'll want to have a say in it. We know your secret _and_ we know it is real. We are also slightly…_emotionally invested_ into your little group."

"That you are."

"S-So," Hinata spoke up quietly. "What h-happens now?"

"You three are on winter break now, yes?" Itachi asked and watched as they nodded their heads. "I recommend you three stay here. We have enough room for you three. In addition," Itachi turned his gaze to Tenten. "We still need to monitor your recovery. This is probably the safest option for you three."

"Safest?" Ino pushed against the wall and sneered. "How in your right mind say this is the safest place for us when a few hours ago my friend was being _attacked_ by one of your men?"

"It is not us you should be worried about." The three girls stared at Itachi wide eyed. "Don't be so naive to think that there aren't any more like us, because there are and they are much worse than us. It is a matter of degree we are dealing with here. You'd you rather be on your own and defenseless or would you rather stay here where you have an army protecting you."

Each girl looked at each other and silently came to their decision. Although they didn't want to, they didn't want to risk anymore damage from unknown forces. If they were worse than Neji, they didn't want to take that chance.

"What about Neji?" Tenten asked shakily.

"He has been taken care of. He won't harm you." Itachi promised lightly. Itachi stood up straight and brushed off his pants. "I'll have one of my men gather your belongings." With that, Itachi left the three girls to silence and the realization that for the next couple of weeks, they would be living immersed in the secrets of the Uchiha house.

* * *

Sakura walked through the park. She wasn't really sure how to get a hold of the Snake but judging by the amount of times she has seen them in the park, she would assume this is a good place to start.

"Well it seems you have recovered well." A soft voice mused from the lake. Sakura almost felt relief that she was dealing with Kabuto and not Orochimaru. "I take it you are here with a message."

Sakura nodded her head and approached Kabuto. She made sure to keep a healthy distance between them. "Itachi wants to make a compromise."

Kabuto shook his head. "I don't even want to hear it. My boss only wants one thing and it is a nonnegotiable."

"Make it negotiable." Sakura deadpanned. "Itachi doesn't want to give in so he won't."

Kabuto grinned darkly as he watched Sakura carefully. "You don't know what Orochimaru wants, do you? Itachi hasn't told you anything. How can you carry out his tasks when you don't know the endgame?"

"It doesn't matter. I trust Itachi."

"Oh," Kabuto smirked. "I have no doubt about that, but don't be mistaken. It matters greatly. Do you want to know? I'll tell you. All you have to do is ask."

Sakura stood there debating internally. She desperately wanted to know, but she had always assumed she would find out in good time by Itachi. She never thought this opportunity would present itself and now she had a decision to make. Could she really trust Kabuto's word?

"Tell me." Sakura decided as she eyed Kabuto skeptically.

Kabuto's face looked like it was going to split in face with the wide smile forming. The secret was too good and he couldn't wait for the response he would elicit from the pinkette. Oh, and she did not disappoint. Sakura's eyes widened and her mind fell silent at Kabuto's words. "Uchiha Sasuke."

* * *

_ "Tell me about the piano." Sakura demanded from her boyfriend. _

_ "Why do you care so much?" He asked with a groan. _

_ "Curiosity!" Sakura squealed._

_ "You know it called a cat." He muttered._

_ "Do I look like a cat?" Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Just tell me! Why is it even there?" Sakura let out a gasp. "Do you play?"_

_ Her boyfriend's silence answered her question as she dragged him over to the instrument. "Play me something."_

_ He sighed. "I don't really know that much."_

_ "Play me something." Sakura repeated with a nudge to his side._

_ "Fine." He grunted as he placed his fingers and began to play. It was a simple song. He made a few errors every now and then but Sakura didn't mind. After he was done he glared at her. "Happy?"_

_ "I'm always happy." Sakura smiled brightly. "Who taught you?"_

_ There was a long silence before he spoke. "My mother. She used to play it often and I would sit beside her and watch. She taught me a few songs before she passed away." He murmured. _

_ Sakura nodded her head solemnly. She slowly scooted closer to her boyfriend. "Can you teach me?"_

_ "It requires patience." He warned._

_ Sakura scoffed. "I have patience." Sakura placed her hands on the keys._

_ Her boyfriend fixed them as he spoke. "You can barely wait twenty minutes for a pizza delivery; it could take you months to learn one song."_

_ Sakura frowned. "Months?" He nodded his head with a slight smirk as she removed her hands from the keys. "I changed my mind. I just want to hear you play."_

_ With a secret soft smile, he obliged. "Anything you want."_

* * *

_**I am so sorry it has taken me this long to update! Forgive me!**_

**I have not forgotten this story, but life is demanded as I'm sure you all know. I will be keeping this story but, but updates will be scattered, especially as these chapters are long and keep growing (I just have so much so say). **

**Anyways, I hope you all forgive me! Please enjoy the chapter and than you for staying with this story and reading. I love you all.**

**Until next time (hopefully sooner rather than later).**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Warning: This is a vampire/high school AU.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

He was on fire. Invisible flames melting his skin, his blood boiling beneath the flesh. The burning searing pain was too much. Neji was curled up on his side in his cramp cage, clawing at his skin. While he has been through this battle before, none where as bad as this and it was because it wasn't satisfied. The darkness didn't get to feed as thoroughly, it didn't get to kill. He was stuck in this perpetual state of dissatisfaction and it was killing _him_. The irony was too much.

_**"Just give up."**_ The darkness whispered softly. _**"Your life is gone. I'm surprised you have the will to keep going."**_

"Quiet." Neji muttered. The voice was getting to him again, and Chiyo's 'diablo' mutterings were doing nothing for him.

_**"Who will miss you if you vanish? Your family is dead, your friends are scared of you, and that girl…that sweet, delicious girl-"**_

"Don't talk about Tenten." Neji ordered in a bark.

_**"Why? Neither of us are going to see her again. She hates you for what you put her through. You tried to kill her. Don't put that blame on me. You knew I would act, but you didn't care. We aren't that different, Neji."**_

Neji began to pull at his hair, half threatening to rip it out.

"We are nothing alike." Neji gasped.

"_**I wonder what Tenten would say on the matter, or anyone else above us. You belong down here, Neji. You belong in Hell."**_

His internal struggle was interrupted as the door opened and light flooded the second basement. Neji dropped his hand instantly and stared at the figure coming down the stairs. His eyes widened upon seeing Sasori and lunged at the cage as his darkness took control.

_**"Let me out." **_He hissed lowly. Neji clenched his eyes shut as his humanity fought over and gasped for breath. "What are you doing down here?"

Sasori looked almost amused by Neji's struggle. "I can't pay my grandmother a visit?" Sasori drifted closer to Neji's cage and that's when he smelt it. His feral side gained control once more and snapped.

_**"Where is she?"**_ Neji could smell Tenten's sweet scent on Sasori. He was willing to tear Sasori apart just to be closer to it.

Sasori ignored Neji's request, simply satisfied that he was able to detect her scent. Instead, Sasori walked over to his grandmother's cage and set a baggie filled with blood on a tray before sending it into her cage. She didn't touch it. Sasori had never actually seen his grandmother drink anything, even before she was in the cage. But whenever he went down to check on her, the blood was gone.

"Where is mine?" Neji choked as he gained hold over his body. He was starving and having blood made it easier to control the darkness. It kept it at bay.

"None for you." Sasori smirked. "Itachi's orders."

Sasori slowly began to leave the basement as he heard Neji drop his hands onto the metal floor of his cage in defeat. Sasori smirked; he enjoyed torturing the Hyuga arrogant asshole.

Neji watched door close sharply and the light leave the room. Instantly the darkness took control and he lost it. Dark Neji began to punch and kick the metal cage, a snarl ripping through his throat. After a few minutes of fruitless destruction, Neji fell to the floor of his cage and slapped his head against the floor of the cage.

_**"It looks like it's just you and me, again. Don't worry, when everyone gives up on you, I'll still be here. I'll always be here."**_His darkness cooed softly. Neji laid motionless. He wasn't going to make it. The need was stronger than ever and the smell of blood filled the second basement. This type of torture was equivalent to running a mile in the desert with no drinking water. Neji could feel himself wither and die.

"_**How can you die, when you never truly lived?"**_

With that silent truth, Neji gave up on the battle today. He would let his darkness roam until he gained the will. He wasn't going to be leaving any time soon anyways. He didn't deserve to ever be let out again.

* * *

Naruto and Hinata sat on the first floor of the Uchiha home, alone at last. It had been weeks since they had truly been alone and now they finally had a moment of peace. After the events of yesterday, both of them welcomed the silence of together. Simply being by each other's side was all the comfort they needed and they weren't going to waste another moment.

However about fifteen minutes into it, the basement door opened and Shikamaru made his way through. Naruto vaguely remembered that Shikamaru had been put in charge of giving updates to Itachi since Neji was AWOL, Sasuke didn't care, and Naruto…well, he'd probably forget.

Shikamaru stopped by the couch to see Hinata and Naruto cuddled together. He was about to give them space when the front door opened and Sakura walked in.

Hinata and Naruto instantly sat up and watched the pinkette who seemed confused as to why people were on the first floor. Over the past couple of weeks it was progressively turning from the 'abandoned first floor' to the 'always filled first floor'.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed. "Come sit with us!" Naruto's new goal was Operation: Friendship. He was going to reunite the four girls as if his life depended on it. He just wanted them all to be happy and he knew if they just talked, it would all work out. Now that they were all in the same secret, they might actually have a chance at reconciliation.

Sakura, however, ignored the loud blonde and turned a blind eye to them as she headed for the basement. She let the basement door slam behind her as she walked into the room.

The three teens on the first floor fell silent. Hinata was the first to speak up.

"Is s-she always like that?" Hinata remembered old Sakura like it was yesterday and couldn't understand what could have possibly have happened for her to act like this. Sakura used to be happy, polite, and talkative.

Naruto glanced away from the basement door and gave Hinata a thoughtful look. "No, she was considerably nicer this time around."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "You mean it was considerably less painful for you." He corrected before heading towards the second floor to give the couple some space.

Hinata looked at Naruto and he sighed. "Shikamaru is right, again." He muttered defeated.

Hinata smiled and pecked Naruto on the cheek to lighten his mood. He happily draped his arm around her and they fell into silence again. Hinata's mind, however, was anything but silent. All she could think about was what could have changed Sakura so much to make her like this. What had happened to her?

After a while longer of silence, she decided that she had to ask. It was killing her. "W-What happened to Sakura?" Hinata asked quietly. "Why is she so…c-cold?"

Naruto's eyes widened and bit his lip. It really wasn't a subject he was supposed to talk about, even if he wanted to. He coughed loudly and sighed. "Hinata, I want to tell you…I just…It's complicated…a lot of stuff I can't…uh…Oh! Sasuke!" Naruto stopped mid-sentence upon seeing the stoic boy walked down the stairs.

He nodded his head coldly to both Naruto and Hinata and glanced at the basement door. "Is Itachi down there?" That was a dumb question, of course he was.

Naruto nodded his head and Sasuke turned and began to walk toward the door. As he opened the door, Naruto grabbed Hinata's hand and pulled her toward the stairs.

"Where are we going?" She asked concerned.

"Trust me, whatever is about to go down in the basement, we don't want to be there." Naruto promised as they made it to the hallways. Hinata went along with it and followed Naruto.

Shikamaru was sitting in the hall outside the room the girls were staying in. "Is anyone in there?" Naruto asked, gesturing to the room across from the girls.

"I don't' think so." Shikamaru murmured.

"Awesome, come." Naruto pulled Hinata inside and grinned at her as he locked the door. "Now, we have complete silence _and_ privacy." He wrapped his arms around her and Hinata couldn't help agree. Although she was curious, she didn't want to waste another moment with her boyfriend.

* * *

Sakura was angry and for the first time it wasn't pointed at Sasuke, Naruto, Orochimaru, or herself, but at Itachi. She couldn't fathom why he would keep something like this from her. How was she supposed to defend him when he left her in the dark? As much as she hated to admit it, Kabuto got in her head and made sense. All Sakura could think about was his words last night and what Orochimaru really wanted.

She was supposed to be Itachi's right hand. He trusted her with all sorts of shit and sometimes it took him a while, but he would tell her. She could tell by the severity of this information, he never planned on telling her. Why? She didn't know.

Sakura spent the morning trying to compose herself and think that maybe there was a reason Itachi didn't tell her anything, and sure some came up but none that satisfied Sakura. She would need to have him tell her. What, or as she recently found out who, was she fighting for?

Once she finally came to a level of suitable composer, she was out of the house and driving to the Uchiha home. In the car she continued to try and calm herself down by playing the stupid Van Halen CD but after a few minutes of listening, she had to turn it off. The memories bubbling up were too painful and were making her lose focus on what she was going to do at the Uchiha house.

Once inside, she went straight to the basement. She barely even registered the other people inside the first floor. They were not her concern right now. She needed answers, desperately so. All her other stresses and worries would have to be addressed later.

To her luck, the basement was empty save for Itachi. She could see the stress building up in his shoulders and knew he was going through much, but all she wanted to do was help and he wouldn't let her. She was beginning to understand Sasuke's frustrations a little more. How was she supposed to instill trust into someone who didn't reciprocate even half?

"Sakura." Itachi greeted, his eyes watching her carefully. "You talked with Kabuto? I expected to hear from you sooner."

"It was late, but I did." Sakura sat across from Itachi and stared at him. "He won't stop pursuing, Orochimaru I mean."

"I figured as much." Itachi sighed loudly and tiredly. "Anything else?"

Sakura gave Itachi a cold look, snapping him from his relaxed state. "He told me what Orochimaru is after. Oh, wait, sorry…I should probably say who. Who Orochimaru is after."

Itachi swallowed and leaned forward. "Sakura-"

"Why didn't you bother saying anything?" A hint of emotion began to show in her voice.

"It's a personal matter."

Sakura chuckled coldly and emotionless. "If it is a personal matter, why is it affecting everyone else's lives?" Sakura paused, seeing Itachi wasn't going to answer her question. "Does he know?" Sakura mumbled.

"No."

Sakura's eyes flashed. "He has a right to know."

"I'm sure he does, but he is hotheaded of the late and I don't want him making stupid decisions to save everyone, or someone in particular." Itachi stared knowingly at Sakura to which she clenched her teeth.

"He is going to find out. He isn't that stupid." Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Of course he isn't, but it is on a need to know."

"I think if his life is in danger, he is in the need to know." Sakura defended.

Itachi gave Sakura an odd look before speaking carefully slow. "For someone who claims to hate him, you are sure ready to defend him." Sakura's eyes widened ever so slightly. "Maybe that's the real reason you weren't informed.

"I'm defending basic rights, not him." Sakura spat out.

"Of course." Itachi smirked dully. "But while he is the subject, I think it is in our favor to discuss you and him."

"There is nothing."

"Sure." Itachi dismissed instantly. "But you aren't focused when he is involved. This anger you have needs to be let out."

"He knows I'm angry." Sakura hissed. "Besides, my issues with him have nothing to do with Orochimaru."

"Perhaps, but the animosity between you two is unbearable. It is creating a void in the group and-"

"No." Sakura stood up sharply, staring down at Itachi. "Your lack of leadership and inability to make decisions is what is tearing everyone apart."

"Fine." Itachi stood up as well and gave Sakura a hard look. "How about you make the decision and I will follow it blindly. Do we give Sasuke to Orochimaru? Yes or no. This should be easy for you. You have no remorse where he is concerned."

Sakura stayed frozen in her spot, shaking visibly with rage. Her anger at Itachi before she stepped into the basement was nothing compared to now. "Fuck you." She muttered darkly. "Fuck you and this entire situation." Sakura let the rage she had been bottling up for so long come out. "You should have dealt with Orochimaru the _minute_ he showed up, instead you let him build an army and threaten everyone in this godforsaken town. You _let_ him put you in this situation and now we are both going to-_you_ are going to lose someone you care about." Sakura seethed unable to control the words coming out of her mouth. "You need to fix this and fast before he just takes what he wants. Before he destroys everything because that's what he wants in the end. How are we supposed to trust you to protect and lead us when you dangle your little brother's life like bait for a mad man?"

Sakura was about to continue but the door to the basement opened and Sakura turned to find the subject of their discussion coming inside. Sakura gave Itachi a dark look. "I trust you and I know you have a lot on your plate, but you need to get your shit together." She muttered lowly.

Sakura pivoted on her foot and headed up the stairs, bumping shoulders hard with Sasuke as she exited the basement. She exited the house quickly and got into her car in record time. She was fuming, she was pissed, and most of all she was conflicted. She rested her head on the icy steering wheel to cool down and after a few minutes, managed to drive off and back to her lonely home where she could calm down.

Tomorrow she would go back. Just because she was pissed off did mean she was abandoning Itachi, especially now that everything was unraveling. Regardless of if he would admit it, he needed her now more than ever. Not for just his sake, but for the sake of everyone in that house, especially Sasuke.

It made Sakura's stomach sick to think about him and it filled her head with conflicting feelings. She just wanted out of this stupid town, away from her stupid problems, and more importantly, away from her past. Why was that so hard?

* * *

Ino sighed tiredly as she gazed over Tenten. She hadn't slept a wink that night, and how could she? Yesterday, she found out that mythical monsters were real, her friend was dating one, her other friend was attack by one, and now she was stuck living in a house full of them for her "protection". Oh, and her best friend was also one, just icing on the cake really.

Ino was pretty sure it was because they knew their secret that they were being kept in the Uchiha home. It was a way of making sure the three girls didn't go to the wrong people. They were being babysat rather than protected. Ino was still skeptical on the whole thing but as time was passing it was solidifying. She missed the days when her biggest problem was her curfew being at ten.

Ino stood up quietly, making sure not to wake Tenten who was passed out and rightfully so. Not only did she go through a horrific attack yesterday but her paranoia was real and she had been stressing out for weeks. Now she was sleeping peaceful with a heavy dosage of sleeping medicine. If anyone deserved a dreamless sleep, it was Tennie.

Ino slowly crept out of the room and closed the door silently behind her. She was anxious and wanted to speak to Hinata. Hinata seemed to have some knowledge about what was going on. Ino needed something to make this all better and maybe that was nestled somewhere in Hinata's know-how.

Ino didn't make it that far though for Nara Shikamaru was sprawled out in the hallway, his back against the wall and his head lolled back. His eyes however were open and gazing at Ino.

"How is she?" He asked, oddly enough, initiating conversation.

Ino coughed awkwardly and gazed back to the door. "Fine, she is asleep. Uh, have you seen where Hinata might be?"

"Busy." Shikamaru closed his eyes, done with the conversation. Ino, on the other hand, still required answers.

"With?" Shikamaru opened his eyes lazily and gave her a special look that answered her question. "Oh."

"Yup."

Ino slowly walked toward Shikamaru and sat beside him. His eyes were closed again but he knew she was beside him. After all the crazy shit that went down, Ino still felt comfortable in the man's presence. Maybe because he never gave off any indication at being dangerous. If anything, he seemed more narcoleptic. While he was frustrating to talk to, he gave her information (if she pressed hard enough) and that was good enough for her. Maybe in a different life, they would have been best friends or something. It was weird, but oddly reassuring. Ino sat for as long as she could in the silence before speaking. "Do you have someone like Naruto has Hinata?"

Shikamaru turned his head and stared at the blonde. This wasn't really a conversation he was expecting to have, but then again the blonde was unpredictable. The question seemed to come out of nowhere, but most of her questions did. He really didn't understand the girl beside him.

"Yes."

"Who?" Ino asked immediately with sudden interest.

"Doesn't matter." He shrugged. Wanting to change the subject, he asked her, "Do you?"

"What?" Ino frowned.

"Have someone like that." He spoke fragmentally.

"Oh, not now." Ino shrugged uncaringly. "I'm sure you've heard things about me and how I'm always in relationships though."

"Not really." Shikamaru muttered. "I don't care much for that kind of idle chat."

"Isn't this that kind of idle chat?" Ino challenged.

"Nope."

Ino thought about that for a moment and decided it meant that even though he didn't want to show it, he was curious. "I used to have someone…someone much more important than the people I'm usually with. I mean the people I date usually are for fun or a spur of the moment kind of thing, but he was different than that."

Shikamaru glanced at Ino, trying to mask his curiosity. "What happened?"

"He moved and it ended." Ino smiled sadly. "I was heartbroken, but you learn to get over those things. I remember I wouldn't leave my room on his moving day. He promised to say goodbye to me so I thought that if I never went outside, he would never have to go. In the end, he was forced to go and I never got to say goodbye. It took me so long to get over it. I hated myself for not allowing a proper goodbye. It probably would have made things easier, but in the end I pulled through."

"Oh." Shikamaru said for lack of anything better to add.

"We were young when we met and he was… actually kind of an asshole." She smiled in reminisce. "We balanced each other out. I'm pretty much an emotional mess and always have been and he was emotionally stunned and you could barely get him to smile, even falsely." She chuckled thoughtfully at this. "But we loved each other. Of course, we were young and didn't really know what love is. I'm not even sure I do know, but if I had to pick a moment to define what love was for me, it would have been when I was with him. I loved him so much."

"Past tense." Shikamaru murmured before sitting up straighter. "You used the past tense of love."

"Hard to love someone who has moved on."

"How do you know he did?" Shikamaru inquired.

"He isn't here now." Ino reminded. "There is nothing holding him back from finding someone wherever he is."

"That doesn't mean anything." Shikamaru waved off. "You never know."

Ino nodded her head slowly. "Maybe you're right."

"I know I am."

"How?" Ino quipped.

"I'm never wrong." Shikamaru smirked.

"Your lady is very lucky to have you." Ino said softly.

"No." Shikamaru yawned, closing his eyes to put this conversation to an end, but not without adding, "I'm lucky that she had ever even given me the time of day."

* * *

Sasuke watched the door slam shut behind Sakura and then turned to his brother as he gentle rubbed his shoulder.

"What did you do to piss her off?" He hissed. Sakura always got mad easily, but she never was mad at Itachi, at least not like this.

Itachi rolled his eyes. "I think she has made it clear that you are not to be concerned with her personal affairs."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes but let the subject drop. Itachi was right, Sakura had made that painfully clear too many times.

"I suppose you are here for a reason." Itachi urged Sasuke to explain his presence.

"I want to know what your plan is."

"I'm afraid that's on a need to know basis." Itachi waved him off.

"I'm your brother." Sasuke growled.

"Then you'll respect my decisions."

"This is why everything is happening." Sasuke shook his head. "Everything is falling apart because of you. Our secret is blown because you pushed Neji. Sakura is pissed off because of whatever you did, I'm sure. The entire group is wearing thin on this solo act of yours." Sasuke let out a short breath. "Why don't you just give Orochimaru what he wants?"

"I can't do that." Itachi murmured staring at Sasuke.

"Why not?" Sasuke asked incredulously. "This thing between you and the Snake is fucking up your priorities. Neji almost killed a girl last night and you are acting like everything is fine, but it isn't. You can't just lock him in a basement and declare the matter ended. If you can't even keep our group together, what is stopping Orochimaru for helping it along and tearing it further apart? You're willing to risk all of it, your _family_, because of your own pride. People have gotten hurt already and we know Orochimaru is capable of much worse."

Itachi didn't seem to consider a word of what Sasuke said. "What he wants is too precious to me."

"Your pride and your ego will be yours, ours, everyone's downfall you pathetic piece of shit." Sasuke cursed. "I don't understand why people listen to you."

"Sasuke, listen I-"

"No." Sasuke shook his head. "I'm done listening to you, okay? I'm done being in the dark and clueless. I'm done with you risking everyone because you are being selfish."

Itachi and Sasuke stared at each other for a long time. Itachi remained unmoved, even as he spoke. "Anything else you wish to get off your chest?" It seemed to be 'yell at Itachi' day so everyone might as well get it all out.

"Yeah." Sasuke chuckled darkly. "Go to Hell."

Sasuke turned his back on Itachi and clamored up the stairs and out the door, leaving Itachi only in the basement where he could see his whole world crumble around him. In this pit of despair Itachi found himself falling into, he couldn't help but smile as his brother and Sakura. Even though they aren't together, they are still on the same page without even knowing it.

* * *

Suigetsu parked his car in the dark drive way in front of an old boat house. It was late in the evening and the sun was setting behind the tall trees surrounding the area. Karin, in the passenger seat, looked out the window nervously as tall shadows covered the car.

"Where the hell are we?" She turned to Suigetsu impatiently and with a hint of worry. Suigetsu had dragged her out of her house without explanation and hadn't told her a thing since they got into the car.

"I just needed to run an errand." Suigetsu shrugged as he turned the headlights off.

"For?" Karin pressed with a dubious look.

"None of your damn business." Suigetsu muttered before sighing. "Just wait here and_ don't_ touch anything." His eyes flickering toward the radio she was so keen with fiddling with.

"Yeah, sure, whatever. Just hurry up. It's creepy out here."

Suigetsu smirked as he opened the car door. "You know, you can probably take whatever is out there."

"Just hurry." Karin snapped as he closed the door.

Suigetsu walked up to the boat house and opened the door quickly. It was dark inside but whatever had happened to him made it easier to see in the dark. Sitting in a dusty chair against the wall was the man he was meeting, Kabuto.

"It's good to see you." Kabuto greeted as he stood up from the chair and dusted his pants off.

"Yeah, let's just hurry this up. I got Karin waiting in the car." Suigetsu muttered thinking about the precious settings that Karin was probably messing with just to piss him off.

"You two are getting pretty close." Kabuto smiled knowingly. "Much closer than you were before this little adventure."

Suigetsu hid his frown at Kabuto's choice of words. He wasn't sure about calling what he was going through an adventure. It made it sound much more positive than dying and being reanimated.

"We both just know what we want and are willing to do whatever we have to, to get it. That's it." Suigetsu attempted to clear up any implications Kabuto had. Suigetsu joked a lot but actually have that kind of relationship with Karin was a no-go. She was hot, maybe hit it a few times and quit it material, but definitely not forever material.

"Dedication like that will get you far." Kabuto complimented.

Suigetsu rolled his eyes eager to get this over with. "You said you had information?"

"Not so much information," Kabuto corrected. "As it is a guide for our mutual goal." Upon seeing Suigetsu's confusion, he clarified. "A weak point."

Kabuto then proceeded to fill in Suigetsu and tell him all the information he needed to know. While it was a brief explanation it gave Suigetsu all he needed to fill in the missing pieces and connect the dots. He finished up quickly and bid Suigetsu goodbye.

"Oh," Kabuto seemed to remember something as Suigetsu was halfway out the door. "You're going to have to amp up your game, by _any_ means necessary."

Understanding the implications, Suigetsu closed the door behind him and walked to the car where he found Karin fiddling with the damn radio with a smug look on her face.

"I told you," He slapped her hands away and quickly fixed it. "Not the touch anything."

"You took too long and deserved punishment." Karin shrugged bored. "Now where are you going to dragging me off to?" Karin sighed as Suigetsu pulled out of the parking space.

"Jugo's. We have to make new plans." Suigetsu smirked.

"What do you have in mind this time?"

Suigetsu grinned pleased with the new information he acquired today. "We need to get him where it hurts."

"And you know what that is?"

"Not what," Suigetsu corrected, looking at Karin evilly. "Who."

* * *

_Sakura sat idle in her boyfriend's room, immersed in one of his books. He was "attending to business" at the moment, so Sakura read to keep herself busy. "An active mind was a healthy mind," she reminded herself. Most of his books were non-fiction, which Sakura was surprised to find out that she didn't mind. Many of them covered interesting topics and she could see the appeal of this type of literature. _

_ Just as she was about to flip over to the next page, the door to his room opened and slammed abruptly. Sakura looked up to see her boyfriend stalk in. While his face was devoid of emotion, raging heat waves were rolling off him. Sakura quickly set the book down._

_ "What happened?" She asked, eyes searching his for an answer._

_ "Nothing." He snapped through clenched teeth. He walked past his girlfriend and towards the window. He rested his hands on the window silt and glared out the window._

_ Sakura bit her lip. "Does it have to do with-"_

_ "Can we just not talk about it?" He rested his forehead against the cool glass of the window and closed his eyes, trying to calm down._

_ Sakura fell silent as she watched him. Sakura had seen her boyfriend mad, on many occasions. Usually it was because of minor frustrations and annoyances. Sakura could deal with him during these moments. But this, what was before her. That was rare. He only ever got like this when-_

_ "I'm sorry." He muttered, pushing away from the window and turning to look at Sakura. _

_ "It's okay!" She jumped up quickly as she stepped closer to him. _

_ He sighed, clearly trying to forget what had happened before. "What are you reading?" He nodded his head to the book open on his bed. _

_ Sakura, taking this as a chance to change the subject and lighten the mood, rolled with it. "Roman Emperors: The Mighty and the Fallen."_

_ Her boyfriend nodded his head. "I have yet to read that one."_

_ Sakura grinned wildly. "Well, it's very informative. Did you know that Caligula made his horse a god?"_

_ He frowned. "No, I did not-"_

_ "Did you know that Caligula dressed like a few of the gods and goddesses so he would be worshipped? He also declared himself a god and had people make sacrifices to him instead of their already established gods. Did you know that?"_

_ "Oh, wow, no-"_

_ "Did you know," Sakura took a daring step forward. "That Caligula favorite measure of torture was sawing?"  
"Are all these facts just on Caligula?"_

_ "Well, I only read the first chapter, so yeah, but did you know-"_

_ At this point, her boyfriend clamped his hand over her mouth and stared at her. "No more, understand?"_

_ Sakura nodded her head and her mouth was freed. She smiled up at him knowingly. "Better now?"_

_ He smirked and leaned down towards her. "Much, idiot."_

* * *

**Hello everyone! So next chapter (or two) will be focusing a lot on Hinata, Ino, and Tenten...I'm thinking it is about time they got some answers, right? **

**Anyways, thank you all for reading and reviewing. You people are too kind to me and really keep me going. You people are wonderful so _thank you_.**

**Until next time :)**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Warning: This is a vampire/high school AU.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

_Two days,_ Ino thought bitterly, _Two days and they still haven't learned anything new._ It was the middle of their second full day in the Uchiha house and they were getting antsy. All they wanted was answers and that seemed like such a hard bargain to make. They were all just scheming silently.

Hinata, albeit much more patient than Ino, was also feeling anxious as well. The reason these girls had gotten into this mess was because they wanted answers. Now that they were fully immersed and being contained in it, they still knew nothing. Somehow that just didn't seem right.

Tenten just craved the distraction. She wanted to know the secrets that were hidden in this house, she really did, but they had taken a back seat in light of recent events. While the day before she had been granted a wondrous dreamless sleep, her conscious thoughts still haunted her. Now, she was ready to search for those secrets, especially if it meant not having to think about, relive what had happen.

Tenten broke the silence was an attention grabbing cough. "We aren't just giving up, right?"

Ino smirked. "Of course not." She casted Tenten a worried eye. "Although, maybe it is best if you sit this one out."

"No!" Tenten reacted appalled. "I am in this just as much as you guys! Hell, arguably more." She gestured to her neck that had a tiny scar. "No, I am sticking with this. Besides," She groaned, falling back on the bed. "What else is there to do except snoop?" Despite her outward, unaffected appearance, Tenten was struggling to keep it together. Acting like this made it a bit more manageable. Acting like she was fine, in turn made her feel fine.

Hinata and Ino shared a look of agreement. "I-I have an idea." Hinata murmured, capturing the full attention of both girls.

Ino cocked an eyebrow. "Let's hear it."

"W-Well, maybe we should s-split up." Hinata whispered more to her knees than the other girls. "We can cover m-more ground."

Ino frowned immediately but Tenten was the one to respond. "Let's do it."

"Are you both crazy?" Ino nudged them both. "One of them _attacked_ you two days ago! We are not splitting up like the Scooby Doo gang and searching for clues."

"Come on, _Daphne._" Tenten smirked. "I thought you were the adventurous one. Look, the only way we are going to get answers is if each of us focuses on an issue since we aren't going to find anything by just sitting here in a group." _The only way to not think about Neji was to focus on something else._

Hinata nodded her head supporting. Ino fixed her a glare. "Fine, _Velma,_" She directed at Hinata. "What secret do you want to tackle?"

"W-We have three…right?" Hinata frowned. "Sasuke's mystery girl, S-Sakura and Temari."

The three girls fell silent. Ino spoke first. "I'm taking Sakura, no question about it." The other two didn't both trying to fight her on this one.

"I'll get Temari." Tenten nodded her head. "It only feels right since Gaara and Kankuro came up to me…"

Ino and Tenten looked at Hinata, waiting for her to respond. "I'll take the m-mystery girl. I-I think I should p-pester Naruto either way. He knows s-something about all three."

All three grinned. "As soon as we get the chance to slip away, let's do this." Ino glanced and Tenten who smirked in response. This was there chance to finally get answers.

* * *

Sakura found herself seated in the basement with Itachi. A day had passed since their spat and they needed to reconcile, although if things were different she wouldn't have so quickly. They needed each other's backs more than ever. There was no time to argue.

"I'm sorry." Itachi apologized first, surprising Sakura. Itachi wasn't quick to admit he was in the wrong. "I should have instilled more trust into you and told you more."

Sakura nodded her head, finding it hard for her to also apologize, but she knew she had to. They needed to move past this issue. "I'm sorry, as well. I should not have acted as I did and assumed I was entitled to any and all information. Some things are meant to be just for one's self."

"We are good now?" Itachi asked and smirked as Sakura nodded her head. "Good, because I have some rather unfortunate news that I have yet to tell anyone else." Sakura watched Itachi carefully as his eyebrows furrowed with worry. "It seems that Sasuke was also fed up with my leadership skills yesterday and has stormed off. Now, I'm sure he hasn't gone far and will be back, but all the same if he is out there I am sure Orochimaru will make his grab."

"So what are you going to do?" Sakura asked worried.

"Wait." Upon seeing Sakura's scowl he added, "As you remarked yesterday, Sasuke is smart and can take care of himself. As for Orochimaru, I have taken both of what you have said into consideration and am going to finally have that chat with him. You were right, I can't let him do anymore damage."

"What if he goes with Orochimaru?" Sakura asked dully but with hawk eyes.

"Do you really think that lowly of my little brother?" Itachi asked almost amused. "I don't have a doubt in my mind he would go with Orochimaru willingly and Orochimaru isn't the type to abduct. He lures his prey in and has them come in on their free will. He thrives in the knowledge that he has mastered the power of manipulation and doesn't need brute force."

"Still," Sakura added uncertainly, "Should we go looking for him?"

"I have sent Naruto to investigate."

"And you have full confidence that he will succeed?" Sakura deadpanned.

Itachi sighed, standing up with Sakura and walking up the stairs. "I don't really have another option."

Sakura nodded her head and once they got to the first floor began to walk towards the front door.

"Sakura." Itachi called. Sakura looked back. "I need you to do something for me."

"What is it?"

Itachi gave her an almost remorseful look. "I need you to stay here and keep an eye on the girls. I have everyone else doing jobs for me. Naruto is looking for Sasuke, Shikamaru is dealing with our two brothers' issue, and Neji is not really available."

Sakura silently stood still. She could tell Itachi was sorry for leaving this for her, but she also knew he had no other choice. Sakura didn't want to be near them. She could practically hear their yapping questions and puppy faces.

"Fine." Sakura walked toward the couch and sat. "But as soon as someone, _anyone_, comes I am leaving."

"Understood." Itachi smiled as he walked towards the front door and grabbed his coat.

"Good luck." Sakura muttered as Itachi closed the door. _To both of us._

* * *

"So who is babysitting us today?" Ino asked as the three girls crept out of their room.

"It's not Naruto." Hinata murmured. "He has b-business to take care of for S-Sasuke's brother."

"The Nara-ass is gone too." Ino muttered. "He would probably have been the easiest to sneak away from too."

"Do you think it is one of Itachi's men?" Tenten asked with slight worry in her voice.

"It has to be, there really isn't anyone else." Ino shrugged as they descended down the stairs.

Once they got to the foot of the stairs, they all stopped dead in their tracks. Sitting on the armchair was the last person they'd expect to see. Her pink hair was tied up tightly on her head and her eyes were shut. She sat stiffly on the chair, too stiff to be asleep.

The three girls shared a joint look and slowly made their way to the couch. Sakura, not really sleeping, could sense the three staring at her and she remained still hoping that someone, anyone, would walk through that door to relieve her.

It was deadly silent for five minutes. The three girls watching the pinkette and the pinkette doing everything she could to ignore the three girls.

Ino frowned as the sixth minute rolled by. "Fuck this." She growled. "I know you are up, Sakura! Are you really still this immature?"

Sakura, upon hearing Ino's angry voice remained still and silent. This only frustrated Ino more.

"You think you can fool me? Honey, I taught you _everything_ you know about deception. I know you can hear me and I know you are ignoring me."

Sakura shrugged, eyes remaining closed and that ticked Ino off even more.

"That's it? Was our friendship nothing to you? We were like sisters and then you began acting funny and all I wanted was for you to talk to me! And just when I thought I was making progress with you, you vanished! For two months! You come back and you act as if you didn't know me. You didn't even act like you were alive." Ino murmured the last part of her rant. "What happened to you? Did this whole….vampire thing change you _that much_?"

Sakura still remained silent but internally she was hurting. It was painfully to relive those memories and remember how much she had to hurt her friends and herself to keep them safe and in the dark. It was painful to remember how her life got ruined because of some stupid mistakes. It was painful to remember that everyone she cared about was gone…some gone for good. It was painful to remember that her life could never go back to the way it was and she had to remove everything that matter from her past in order to live on.

"Sakura, please." Tenten whispered. "We miss you so much and know you must have suffered a great deal because of this but we are your friends and want to be there for you, just let us in."

Sweet, sweet Tenten. While Ino pushed Sakura to be better and independent, try new things and experience the world, Tenten kept them grounded. Ino was the dreamer while Tenten was the realist. She kept them in line and made sure they were safe.

"W-We know everything can't go back to n-normal, but we will a-always stand by your side." Hinata stuttered softly.

Hearing Hinata was almost her breaking point. Hinata was the nurturer. She would love them all, unconditionally and was there for them all, no matter what shitty things got in the way. Hinata was truly the angel of their old group.

Sakura was luckily spared from another painful moment of nostalgia as the front door opened. She opened her eyes and turned to see Naruto walk in. Sakura was up and walking towards Naruto, surprising the girls with her sudden movement. Unsuspecting Naruto was dragged by Sakura off to the side of the large room as the three girls watched. He barely had time to register what was going on.

"Sakura-chan!" He exclaimed. Finding this too loud, Sakura smacked Naruto on the head. "Ouch! Jeez what?"

"Did you find him?" Sakura murmured, quietly enough so only Naruto could hear.

Naruto's face fell and Sakura already knew the answer before he said anything. "Nothing."

Wordlessly, Sakura released her grip on Naruto's arm and was out the door. Naruto watched Sakura disappear and felt shame. He couldn't even find his best friend and now he was disappointing everyone. A small trickle of hope filled his chest upon realizing that Sakura cared enough to ask…that had to count for something, right?

In the midst of the Sakura-Naruto exchange, the girls had taken the opportunity to send Tenten on her way.

"See you later, _Shags_." Ino smirked.

Tenten frowned. "Why am I Shaggy?" She whispered.

"J-Just go." Hinata pushed Tenten.

"Try the basement." Ino tipped off as she watched Sakura leave. There had to be something down there, that's where all those crazies spent their time.

Tenten nodded her head and ducked into the basement as Naruto came back to the girls.

"Ladies…Wait," He frowned confused. "Where is Tenten?"

"Bathroom." Ino instantly said. "She might be a while."

"Oh." Naruto wrinkled his nose as he sat down beside his girlfriend.

"A-Actually, can I a-ask you some q-questions?" Hinata nervously spat out.

"Sure!" Naruto smiled, his attention solely focused on Hinata.

Ino made some half-witted excuse to leave and it went to deaf ears and she scrambled up the stairs. While Tenten searched the basement, she would take the second floor. They just all silently hoped that Naruto didn't suspect a thing and Hinata would keep him busy.

* * *

Ino made quick work with the first couple of rooms. For such a modest home, it had a lot of small rooms, like half and quarter sized bedrooms. It certainly wasn't built like this and Ino guessed it was refurbished this way to account for all the bodies. No wonder they were able to keep so many people there at once.

The first couple of rooms were nearly empty except for a bed and sometimes a few weird personal possessions like shitty clay sculptures, giant swords, and religious artifacts. One room, the bed was gone and a bed of grass and a bunch of plants were there. Ino could tell by snooping in these rooms that these people were fucked up and that wasn't from their _vampirism_.

With only a few rooms left, Ino headed straight for the one the boys stayed in realizing the opportunity that has presented itself. One of them was always in it, but seeing as all of them were either gone or occupied, it was empty for once. This was her only chance. Her once in a life time chance. She quickly opened the door, slid inside, and locked it behind her. She didn't want to be interrupted by anything.

The room was the biggest she had seen thus far, including the one the girls were sharing. There wasn't much in it and Ino summed up this was definitely Sasuke's design choices so it was probably his room. There was a large bed in the corner with dark sheets and blankets on top. On the other side of the room was a large wooden desk with a black leather chair. In the middle of the floor was a navy wooly rug, but other than that all his belongings must have been stored away elsewhere.

Ino started with the closet next to the door. She opened it and groaned as she rummaged through his clothing. _Does he own anything other than black, grey, and blue?_ Ino picked up a black jacket that had fallen on the floor and searched the pockets but ultimately found nothing.

She continued to scan the closet but found nothing out of the ordinary. There was simply, clothing, shoes, a backpack filled only with school supplies, and a gaming console with games. To Ino, who spent a large amount of her time with the opposite sex, this looked like average stuff to her. Although, Ino did learn that Sasuke was a boxer-briefs man.

Closing the closet, leaving the appearance that it had been untouched, Ino moved over to the desk. First thing Ino did was turn on his laptop. Knowing enough about him, it was probably password protected with some arbitrary numbers and symbols but it was worth a shot.

While she waited for it to turn on, Ino examined the books on the put of his desk. She read of a few of the titles and quickly grew boring. How he was friends with someone like Naruto was amazing. I mean with titles like _Loopholes of Attorneys_, _Medical Diaries, _and _Roman Emperors: The Mighty and the Fallen_ it was easy to see why Sasuke was so…Sasuke.

The laptop turned on to the password screen and Ino stared at the keyboard trying to think. Sitting down in the chair and cracking her fingers she tried her hand at it.

_SasukeUchiha_

She pressed enter and got the error screen so she tried again

_UchihaSasuke_

Again, nothing.

_Vampire_

Ino knew better but what did she have to lose.

_Blood_

Again, stupid.

_Narutoisanidiot_

Unsurprisingly, it didn't work so Ino abandoned the laptop and began searching the drawer. Maybe the password was written somewhere in the desk. Sasuke seemed like the type of person to do that.

Ino started with the center drawer and looked inside. It was neatly organized with pens, pencils, a stapler and a tape dispenser. There was also a worn looking deck of cards and a few scraps of paper on an empty black and red CD case. Ino picked up the scraps of paper and examined them.

The first one held a neatly written phone number. Ino pulled out her phone and searched the number to find it belonging to a locale pizzeria. Ino wouldn't have pegged the Uchiha as a pizza love but the evidence was conclusive. Ino also reasoned that pizza was probably a good way to keep Naruto busy.

The second scrap of paper also had a number. This time the handwriting was messy and squished together. It was obvious this was not Sasuke's handwriting like the note from before. Ino stared at the number for a long time trying to figure out why it looked so familiar. Ino typed it into the search engine and found it was a number of some old man she didn't know. Ino couldn't get it out of her head that it looked familiar and typed the number into her contacts and sure enough it had one match. Haruno Sakura.

Ino stared at her phone for a long time. This was Sakura's old number. It had been disconnected when Sakura vanished but it was the only number Ino had for the pinkette. Ino's mind was buzzing. Why did Sasuke have her old number? As she thought about it, it began to make sense. They were both…vampires…and both shared the same acquaintances, they had probably exchanged it during those two months.

Ino then focused her attention to the last scribbled paper to see a note.

_Be back soon._

_There is food in the refrigerator._

_See you soon._

Ino shrugged, guessing it was a note Sasuke left for Naruto or one of the other boys when he left them alone. She put the scraps of paper back in the middle drawer on top the of the CD case. Ino mused to herself, _who would have thought Uchiha Sasuke liked rock and roll?_

Ino opened the left drawer and found it filled neatly with paper from school and instantly closed it. She didn't want to walk down academic lane. Instead, she turned to the right drawer. She opened it to find a black, leather bound book.

Ino delicately picked the book up in her hands. It was on the heavier side and soft. Setting it in her lap, Ino realized what this was. _A journal…Jackpot._

* * *

"So what are your questions?" Naruto asked with a bright and cheery face. Inside, his stomach clenched uncomfortably. He knew this time would come.

"They are about Sakura." Hinata played with the trim of her skirt, avoiding his eyes.

Naruto swallowed. "Hinata, I can't-"

"Please." Hinata looked up. "We need to k-know what happened. We want t-to understand."

Naruto wrapped his arms around Hinata. "I know…I just…I promised everyone and it's not my story to tell and…why is it so hard to say no to you?" He buried his face into her shoulder. "I don't want to lie to you." He murmured into Hinata's shoulder.

"I-I know." Hinata felt bad putting her boyfriend into this tight spot. "It just doesn't make sense."

Naruto smiled sadly. "One day you'll know!" He tried to lighten his girlfriend up but he could see it didn't work.

"I-I don't understand." Hinata frowned. "S-She didn't know you g-guys, right? So how w-was she connected to this group and how d-did she become a part of it?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head and squeezed his eyes shut. He wanted to tell her, he really did but it wasn't his tale to tell and a lot of people didn't want it told. But he had to give her something, anything.

"That's not true." He muttered. "We did meet her before she turned."

Hinata looked up wanting Naruto to continue. "H-How did you a-all meet?"

Naruto bit his lip. "It was gradual. I think Neji was the last to meet her."

Hinata shuttered at Neji's name but pushed through it. "Who w-was the first?"

Naruto hid his face with his hands. "Hinata-"

"Okay." Hinata quickly pushed that question away. "W-What was her c-connection to the group?"

Naruto dropped his hands miserably. "That question is even worse than the last." Naruto shook his head. "I'm not supposed to say but I hate lying and denying you the truth." He stared her head on. "You deserve to know the truth. I just…ugh!"

Hinata rubbed his shoulder. "You don't have to say." She whispered. She didn't want to keep her boyfriend feeling conflicted.

"No." He shook his head and grabbed both her shoulders. "I-I," He swallowed. "I'm going to tell you, just a little bit though…the rest you'll have to find out from Sakura. Even I don't know the rest."

"Naruto-"

Naruto smiled. "Don't take anything back; I know you want to know." Hinata nodded her head and Naruto dropped his hands and leaned back on the couch, looking up at the ceiling. "The reason Sakura was associated with our group before she became a…yeah, was because she was _involved_ with someone in our group."

Hinata thought for a moment before speaking. "W-Was it you?"

Naruto's eyes widened suddenly as he jumped up. "No! No, no, no!" He shook his head laughing. "No, not me. I mean, I wished at some point." Naruto blushed. "I kind of had a crush on her for a while, but that went away a _long_ time ago." He reassured Hinata.

"S-Shikamaru then, right?" Hinata smiled awkwardly.

"Uh, Shikamaru had other things going on…" Naruto groaned. "They got along pretty well though."

"Sasuke's brother?" Hinata asked wide eyed, thinking she discovered the answer.

Naruto smiled sadly. "No, Hinata…Look, let me just tell you okay…" Hinata nodded her head as Naruto grabbed her hand. "It was…it was…Sasuke."

* * *

Tenten glanced around the basement. It looked the same as it had when she was here the last time. She wasn't really sure where to look since there weren't many places to hide anything. There was just a bunch of couches and tables. The only possible place to store anything was the bar.

So Tenten made her way over and looked around. There was a small sink and drying rank holding some now dry glasses. Underneath was a cupboard. Tenten opened it and, no surprise, found alcohol. Tenten turned to the other wall and gazed at the shelves. There was more alcohol and a wide array of different glasses, but nothing that seemed useful to Tenten.

Tenten was beginning to think they had sent her to the basement because they knew nothing was down there. I guess that's why she was Shaggy.

Frustrated, Tenten dropped to the ground in a sitting position and was surprised to hear a hollow drum. Tenten gazed down on the floor. There was a small black rug that was fitted into the behind the counter space.

Curious, Tenten stood up and exited the bar space. She kneeled down and pulled at the black rug until the floor of the bar was visible. To her surprise, she found a small hatch. Hesitantly, Tenten reached for the trap door and opened it.

Tenten looked down the hole to see a narrow staircase. Unfortunately the light only reached the first couple of steps and the rest led into darkness. Looking around, Tenten quickly found a flashlight that was conveniently on one of the shelves. _Someone must make frequent trips down there_, she thought as she turned it on and took a daring step into the basement.

As she climbed down the stairs, the darkness swallowed her. Her flashlight helped a great deal with seeing ahead and the light from above still provided enough light to see outlines. Once she reached the last step, Tenten looked around not really sure what she was looking at.

Her eyes weren't able to pick up anything in the darkness even with the aid of lights. _They must have much better eyesight since they are technically creatures of the night_. Carefully and slowly, Tenten inched her way through the dark room. It was silent, deafeningly so. Every now and then she could have sworn she heard a whisper but when she tried to focus on it, it vanished. A cold chill raced up and down her spine and fear filled her stomach like the weight of a sandbag.

Tenten reached to her side and felt cool metal bars about a few inches apart. She used the bars as a guide to help her travel further into the room. Her mind was buzzing trying to figure out what the bars could possibly be…but nothing came to mind.

After a few minutes of walking, Tenten stopped. She had no idea where she was going and almost had half the mind to turn around and come back here later with Ino. Ino would be daring enough to come down here. She was beginning to wish Ino took the basement.

Tenten suddenly felt an icy cold hand touch hers. She instinctively tried to whip her hand away but the hand grabbed her and with unimaginable strength yanked Tenten into the bars. Tenten turned the flashlight into the bars and let out a blood curdling scream.

The bars were not a wall…they were cages, and inside this one held a horrifying monster.

The monster had the appearance of an ancient woman. Short and stout with grey hair pulled into a bun. A lumpy mole called for attention on her face, but Tenten wasn't focused on any of that. Inside the monster's mouth were thousands of needle teeth and it was looking ready to take a bite.

Tenten pulled away but her efforts were useless. Tears rapidly streamed down her face as she screamed to get someone, anyone's, attention. Just when the horrifying creature was about to snap its mouth shut on Tenten's arm, a low threatening hiss could be heard from behind her. The creature let go of Tenten's hand and Tenten wasted no time and ripping it away from the cage.

Tenten quickly turned around and shone her flashlight at the spot that made the hissing noise. She dropped the flashlight as fear's icy cold hand tightened around Tenten's heart, making it hard for her to breathe. Tenten collapsed and began to hyperventilating as she looked at the sight before it.

It was another cage, but that it not what held her attention, it was what was inside the cage. It was the man that had captured her heart, ripped it out, attacked her, nearly killed her, and now…protected her?

Neji watched Tenten from the other side of the cage frozen in disbelief. The darkness had reacted so fast that he didn't even know what or why he was hissing. Not until he finally saw her. He fell onto in back and grabbed his head cursing loudly, eliciting a squeak of fear from Tenten.

Tenten watched Neji fall back into his cage and curl onto his side. Shakily, she got up, keeping her distance from both cages. She was surprised to see strong and stoic Neji reduced to pain and confinement, but it made sense. At least that fucking made sense.

Then she heard him. It was soft but she heard him groaning and moaning in pain and Tenten, despite what had happened a few days ago, couldn't help but feel pity and confusion.

"…Itachi promise…you can't…not here…Itachi…why…no…" He murmured incompletely thoughts and sentences.

Tenten held her breath as she watched him before finally mustering up enough courage to croak out a single word. "N-Neji?" His body stiffened instantly upon hearing her voice so she tried again. "Neji?"

This time he buried his hands into his tangled hair. "…no…ten…no…" His teeth were clamped together and his eyes scrunched in pain.

Tenten took a daring step closer to the cage but stopped instantly. She didn't want a repeat of what had happened earlier. "W-Why are you d-down here?" Tenten's voice shook, anxiety was building up all around her, but she needed to know.

Neji was quiet for a moment, his face buried into his arm. "…punishment…" He finally whispered barely audible.

He confirmed her suspicious and her stomach dropped painfully. She wasn't sure what all they were doing to him but he looked in agonizing pain. "For w-what you did?"

Neji nodded his head slowly and steadily. "…hurt…ten…"

His speech seemed to be strained, like he was speaking with a clenched mouth and Tenten realized he probably was but why? This wasn't the composed Neji she had grown to know…then again, the last time she saw him, he wasn't Neji at all. The Neji before her was…broken, for lack of a better word.

"Neji, talk to me." She whispered, not really sure what to say. All she knew is that she needed answers and couldn't just leave him there.

"Go." Neji muttered harshly, greatly contrasting the weak voice from moments before. "I don't want to…again."

Tenten realized he was afraid, not of her, not of the monster in the other cage, but of himself.

"I'm not leaving yet." Tenten told him but she nearly jumped back as he sat up, knees bent and elbows resting on his knee caps. His face lying in his hands.

"Too many, Tenten." Neji shook. "No more. Go Tenten." His sentences were taking a more complete form and Tenten could feel herself coming closer to the answer.

"Who else?" Tenten asked but almost instantly regretted so. Did she want to know the other people he has attacked? Did she want to know his long blood history?

Neji didn't answer the question though and instead pressed his fingernails into his arms, like he was trying to focus on the pain rather than something else. "Please, Tenten, I don't want to hurt…"

Tenten, deciding a change of conversation might help him speak more openly with her dared to ask, "Do you know anything about Temari?" After all, that was her intention of coming to the basement.

Neji stared at her wide eyed before snapping his eye shut and hitting his head back against the bars behind him. "…y-you know about her?...Oh, God no…I-I…I didn't mean it…so much blood…blood, blood, blood…I'm so sorry…Oh, God…never were supposed to find out…it…it was an accident…I promise…I would never…Oh, God…."

Tenten froze, not wanting to believe what she was hearing. With shaking hands, she asked, "N-Neji," It can out high pitched and in a squeak. "D-Did you have anything t-to do with her d-death?"

"Tenten…" Neji looked up, wetness around his eyes but little other evidence of tears. "I-I didn't mean to…I…no control…I didn't want to…he…no…" His head hung down and Tenten's breathing came out weaker than ever. She didn't want to know this anymore. She didn't want to be a part of any of this. She wanted her life to go back to the way it used to be.

"Tenten." Neji looked up, his whole body shaking uncontrollably. "I did it…I'm so sorry."

* * *

Sasuke walked silently through the park. He hadn't been back to the house since he stormed off and he was considering never going back. He was sick of Itachi shit, he was sick of dealing with everyone else's mess, although, controversially one could say this all started because of his first fuck up.

He just needed to be away for a while, cool his head and focus on himself for a moment. Of course, he would go back. His home was there, his friends were there, and Sakura was there. Even though she hated him, he would always watch after her, it was the least he could do. He just needed a few days alone.

But apparently, destiny had different thoughts because he wasn't alone. He could feel it. He was being followed. Not just by one person, but two. Sasuke stopped and turned to face the dark underbrush.

"What do you want?" Sasuke crossed his arms as the two figures made themselves visible.

"Sup, man?" Suigetsu grinned wildly at Sasuke.

"Hello, Sasuke-kun." Karin purred from her spot beside Suigetsu.

Sasuke looked at both of them dully. "Do I know you?"

Suigetsu felt a twinge of anger but kept himself at peace. "We go to school with you."

Sasuke raised his eyebrow skeptically.

"We talked just the other day!" Karin twirled a red lock on her finger. "You were going to drive me home, remember?"  
He didn't. "Oh, hn." Sasuke grunted. "What do you want?"

Suigetsu, recomposing himself, stared Sasuke down. "To make you an offer." Suigetsu smiled sharply. "One you _shouldn't_ refuse."

"I'm not interested."

"Doesn't really matter." Suigetsu took a step forward.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I don't want to be a part of some petty deal-"

"Who said anything about petty?" Suigetsu snapped playfully. "Perhaps I forgot to mention who sent us." Taking Sasuke's silence as the go-ahead to speak, he continued. "My boss, The Snake, is very interested in you and you wouldn't want a certain pink haired-" Sasuke let out a threatening growl and Suigetsu's grin widened while Karin's frown set in deeper. "I didn't even finish my sentence and you are already on the defense. Kabuto was right about you."

Karin rolled her eyes. "Your option is to come with us and we will stay away from her, although if you refuse we know how and where to find her."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the red head and quickly turned his piercing gaze to Suigetsu. "What is stopping me from killing you both before you even have the chance to act on your threats?"

"Our big guy is watching her head home now and boy is he quick to anger lately." Suigetsu cackled at Sasuke's expression that could only be described as honest and true fear. "Checkmate."

* * *

_S__akura sat on the front porch enjoying the last days of summer. Her boyfriend with busy dealing with his friends so Sakura had a chance of peace with Temari. It had been a while since the two girls talked._

_ "Are your friends back yet?" Temari asked, sipping her ice tea and gazing in the distance._

_ "My best friend comes back the night before school starts and the other two are coming back the day before but they will probably have jet lag so I won't see any of them until school starts up again." Sakura sighed._

_ "I personally can't wait to meet them." Temari smirked deviously. "I feel like me and this Ino chick have lots to talk about."_

_ Sakura laughed and the two fell into a comfortable silence. They watched as the sun dipped before the trees and the moon slowly took its place. _

_ Temari," Sakura requested the other girl's attention. "How long have you be together with-"_

_ "Forever." Temari answered quickly, cutting Sakura off before laughing. "Kidding, like a few years. Feels like forever though. Though, I guess we take enough breaks."_

_ "You mean breaking up?" Sakura quipped._

_ Temari shrugged. "Whatever you want to call it, I guess breaking up is the correct term."_

_ Sakura absorbed this but still had a question buzzing in her head. "Why do you two keep getting back together?"_

_ "It's weird," Temari bit her lip in thought. "But, I know I want to stay with him of the rest of my life." Temari buried her face into her hands giggling. "Fuck, I sound like an idiot, don't I?"_

_ "No!" Sakura shook her head smiling like the sappy romantic she was. "I think it is sweet, but uh…how do you know he is…the one?"_

_ Temari stared Sakura in the eyes with mischief. "You don't. I still don't really know. Maybe it is because me and him both don't really believe in that kind of stuff…What about you two?" Temari probed. _

_ "Oh, I don't know. We have only been together a few months." Sakura blushed at the thought._

_ "Well, I know." Temari stated strongly. _

_ "You do?" Temari nodded her head in response. "Then what do you think?" Sakura asked, curious on Temari's perceptive. _

_ Temari paused for a moment, thinking of the correct way to word it. "You are the only one he shows remote interest in. Even with his friends and his brother, you are always on the top of his list and for someone as emotionally inept as him, that's big."_

_ Sakura absorbed this information before coughing. "Temari?"_

_ "Yeah?"_

_ "If you want to be with him forever, why do you guys break it off so often?"_

_ "Well, it's almost never with serious intent. Just heat of the moment stuff. We clash a lot. He is just so stubborn thinking he is right all the time, which he is but I don't want him to think that, and I guess I'm a bit strong minded and opinionated. Sometimes we just need to sort of a break and reflection period." Temari threw Sakura an evil smile. "Plus it gives him time to think and appreciate how lucky he is that I give him the time of day."_

_ "Oh my lord." Sakura shook her head laughing. "You can never meet Ino."_

_ Temari raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?"_

_ "It would be absolute and utter narcissistic chaos."_

* * *

**Hello! So, this chapter was originally a lot longer but I had to fit a lot of stuff into it so now it is split up into at least two (maybeeventhree) chapters.**

**And a lot of secrets have been revealed. Some we know already, some we don't. There are really only a few left that I can think of...we are getting close. :)**

**So thank you all for reading and supporting this story. You guys are amazing. See you next time :)!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. There might be some OCCness. **

**Enjoy.**

* * *

_Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the red head and quickly turned his piercing gaze to Suigetsu. "What is stopping me from killing you both before you even have the chance to act on your threats?"_

"_Our big guy is watching her head home now and boy is he quick to anger lately." Suigetsu cackled at Sasuke's expression that could only be described as honest and true fear. "Checkmate."_

Defeated, Sasuke watched them both carefully, trying to gage and read them and see how he could play out this situation. "Fine." He muttered darkly.

"Our boss really wants to meet you." Suigetsu began to walk towards his car in hopes both annoying people were following him. Just as he hoped, this was going to be a cake walk.

"No." Sasuke crossed his arms and leaned against the tree. While he was willing to do what the two idiots wanted, the Snake was _not_ an option.

"What do you mean, no?" Karin paused.

"Dude, we will kill your girl." Suigetsu groaned. He wasn't really expecting the Uchiha to be this difficult. Sure, he was an asshole. Suigetsu knew that much. But difficult? How annoying.

"I'll come with you guys like you wanted, but not to him. That's my deal." Sasuke stood his ground determined. He wouldn't let anything happen to Sakura, but he sure as hell wasn't going to betray his brother and friends. Sasuke was many things, but he definitely wasn't going to hand himself over to the enemy like that.

"You can't just make negotiations with our threat!" Suigetsu yelp flabbergasted by the turn of events.

"I just did." Sasuke shrugged with a small yawn much like Shikamaru would have.

Speechless, Suigetsu turned to Karin to do something. Karin nodded her head and took a delicate step toward Sasuke as she schemed.

"Alright." She murmured slightly. Sasuke turned his attention to the red head as she continued. "You come with us, not to Orochimaru, and then we don't hurt the girl." Karin nodded her head.

"Fine." Sasuke quickly agreed. This process was getting tedious.

Karin pivoted on her foot smiling pleased with herself as she walked to Suigetsu's car. Suigetsu fell into step with Karin and watched the Uchiha follow but a few meters behind.

"What the hell are we going to do now?" Suigetsu hissed into Karin's ear.

"We warm him up to the idea. He obviously isn't going now, but we can probably persuade him to later." Karin whispered.

"And where are we going to keep him?" Suigetsu groaned as he cast a glance back at Sasuke.

"You have an extra room in your house, don't you?" Karin raised an eyebrow. "Don't be a wimp; it'll be only a few days. Mangetsu won't even notice him."

Sasuke watched the two in front of him and grimaced. Why the Snake wanted him? He didn't know. Perhaps the two before him could answer his questions. He just hoped they stuck to their end of the bargain and don't lay a finger on Sakura. The only good news about this little set up is Itachi will begin looking for him. Sasuke knew as much. This would finally get his stupid brother to face him problem with the Snake.

* * *

_Ino delicately picked the book up in her hands. It was on the heavier side and soft. Setting it in her lap, Ino realized what this was. A journal…Jackpot._

Ino stared at the ink black leather bound journal resting in her lap. The leather was smooth and obviously well taken care of, but judging from the soft cracked rippling in the corners it was aging which made Ino ask the internal question, did vampires age? If so, how old was Uchiha Sasuke and the rest of them? It seemed like more questions were bubbling up and they were still nowhere with answers. _Hopefully that won't last too long_, Ino thought as she drummed a thoughtful finger against the cover.

Not willing to waste any more time on tangent thoughts and questions, Ino flipped the cover of the journal. Ino wasn't exactly sure what she was supposed to be expecting, but she surely was not expecting that. Tucked deep into the spine of the book, like it was a bound page was a singular photograph. The photo contained two people, two of the last people Ino would has associated with each other or with Uchiha Sasuke. Arms wrapped around each other's shoulders was bright eyed Sakura from a few years prior and the mysterious dead girl that seemed to just keep popping up, Temari.

Ino stared at the photo for a long time. She simply couldn't believe the physical evidence in front of her. She could see it, but the connection wasn't making it to her brain. It just seemed unreal. Maybe it was because both these girls were dead, whether it be physically or emotionally. Or maybe it was because Ino didn't recognize the girls in front of her, at least not anymore.

Sakura, while she appeared as she once did during her friendship with Ino; there was something off about her. Like a new level of maturity or a glow of adulthood. Despite being just shy of fifteen in the photograph, Sakura's eyes held something that Ino couldn't recognize. It was too off putting that Ino shifted her attention to the blonde next to Sakura in the photo.

Ino and Temari never really knew each other. Ino had seen Temari on a few occasions but all were in passing. Ino hardly knew anything of the girl, but seeing her so close (physically and emotionally) to her once best friend made Ino feel a stinging sensation on her chest. As she examined the photo for hints of any clues, Ino only could feel more heartbreak. What made Temari so special? Why was she involved in any of this? Why was she so close to Sakura? And most importantly, was she the one who replaced Ino during that summer apart?

Ino closed the journal rapidly and closed her eyes, letting out a shaky breath, trying to get air into her lungs and calm down her broken beating heart. It felt like losing her friend all over again and only made as a painful reminder that Sakura wanted nothing to do with Ino or the rest of them.

Ino stared down at the book again. Why did Sasuke have this photo to begin with? That was the question Ino needed to focus on. It felt like the facts were all there and Ino just needed to piece them together. This was just simply another puzzle to finished, just like the ones she would do when she was younger, only this time the end result would be much deeper than a simple photo of a castle.

Temari was murdered. The boys in the house were somehow connected to that murder, according to Gaara and Kankuro. Sakura was also connected to Temari and the boys and she was turned into a...vampire sometime during those first couple of months of schools. Sasuke has a photograph of both girls before they reached their current state of being. The pieces were all there, or at least Ino hoped, she just needed to piece them together.

Having finally calmed down and beginning to think pragmatically, Ino flipped the journal open again. Without even glancing at the photo of the two girls, Ino turned the page. This page was filled with notes, copious amounts of notes in his neat, fine handwritten. There was almost no white space on the page with the amount of writing he managed to fit on it. As Ino read, she frowned. They were notes of the men Itachi had living here and a good portion of what was written made no sense to Ino. Sasuke often used shorthand or some sort of code and as Ino read on, she was finding it more and more illegible to her.

Ino quickly flipped through the rest of the journal, finding more fields of white pages covered in insane muttered in shorthand. Ino was curious as to what it said, but she didn't have the time to decode his ramblings. Ino suddenly reached the end of the writing were white pages started, yet to be marked by Sasuke. With a heavy sigh, Ino flipped to the front cover of the book again and stared at the picture. It was her only clue.

A dark thought floated into Ino's head as she looked down at the page.

Perhaps, Sasuke killed Temari. Perhaps, Sasuke tried to do the same to Sakura, but failed. Ino bit her lip, it would make sense. The nonsensical scribbles would reflect an unstable mind while the photograph would be evidence of a trophy of his kills. Sakura didn't seem to like the boys, it would make sense for her to hold resentment towards them if that was the case.

"Don't fucking tell me what to do, asshole." A low mutter sounded. Ino jumped from her seat and realized it was coming from the other side of the door, down the hall.

Ino closed the book on her lap and quickly returned it to its rightful place in Sasuke's desk. That was her cue to leave. She didn't want to overstay her welcome. She especially didn't want to be caught snooping by the owner of the journal.

Ino quickly spun around the room, making sure everything was just as she found it before unlocking the door and scampering down the hallway and to the first floor.

* * *

_Naruto smiled sadly. "No, Hinata…Look, let me just tell you okay…" Hinata nodded her head as Naruto grabbed her hand. "It was…it was…Sasuke."_

Hinata stared at Naruto, not quite registering what he had said. _Did he just say…Sasuke and Sakura?_

Hinata shook her head suddenly, catching Naruto off guard. "No."

Naruto watched her cautiously. "What do you mean no?"

"S-Sakura wouldn't g-go out with S-Sasuke." Hinata frowned deeply.

"But she…did." Naruto tried to insist. He could see Hinata wasn't willing to accept it.

"But…w-why would she?" Hinata asked, trying to understand what the hell Naruto was saying. _Sakura and Sasuke- that was laughable. Sakura had been bright and happy and Sasuke was a stick in the mud…there is no way that could have happened._

Naruto was thrown off by her question. He really wasn't sure how he was supposed to answer it. He knew why those two had been together. It really wasn't his place to say why. "I don't know." He spoke truthfully. "But they were together from the end of May to the beginning of October."

Hinata's eyes widened at the time period. "The end of M-May?"

Naruto nodded his head. "I think so. It was like a week after summer had started."

"And t-till October?" Hinata swallowed hard. "When she disappeared, right?

Naruto nodded his head slowly and avoided eye contact. "Yeah. Exactly." He murmured.

"Did S-Sasuke do it?" Hinata asked quietly. She needed to know if Sasuke is the reason she doesn't have her friend anymore.

Naruto didn't speak. Hinata scooted closer to him and waited as Naruto sat still with furrowed eyebrows. "I don't know."

"Y-You don't?" Hinata asked more surprised than anything. She thought Naruto and Sasuke told each other everything.

"I don't want to know." He whispered with guilt drenching his words. "I don't want to know what happened between them. Neji and Shikamaru know, I think, but I don't. I can probably guess, but I just rather be left out of this one and not know."

Understanding, Hinata grabbed his hand gently. "I'm s-sorry for asking so many questions. I-I just want t-to know what happened to h-her."

Naruto looked up at Hinata was a somber expression. "I know. I get why you need to know, but I can't give you anymore answers. I just don't know anything else about what happened and I don't want to. I have an image of them, when they were together and happy, and I don't want that ruined, you know?" Hinata nodded her head, willing Naruto to continue. "I've been hoping that they would just talk to each other…I think if they did it would help."

"They won't?"

"No." Naruto bit his lip. "When they broke up, Sakura didn't just disappear from you guys and school, she disappeared from us as well. I don't know where she was those two months, but I have a good guess."

"Can I hear it?" Hinata asked shyly.

Naruto breathed loudly through his nose as he rested his head on Hinata's shoulder. "It's not so much of a guess, but a lead…I think Itachi knows what happened though. He is the only one Sakura talks to."

There was a thundering of steps and both Hinata and Naruto sat up to see Ino clamoring down the stairs. She smiled and waved awkwardly. "Hey guys."

Before either could respond, the basement door opened and all three pairs of eyes focused on it.

* * *

"_Tenten." Neji looked up, his whole body shaking uncontrollably. "I did it…I'm so sorry."_

Tenten stood there, heart beating frantically in her chest and the air in her lungs frozen. Before her, Neji sat, his head resting on his knees. She couldn't believe what she had heard. She knew that the boys knew something about Temari's death. She had always knew that, especially after what Gaara had told her, but she never prepared for herself to be right.

"Neji…why?" She asked, her voice barely escaping her lips. Her body shook recklessly and she was feeling lightheaded, but she had come to the basement and damn it, she wasn't leaving without answers. No matter how much it hurt.

Neji shook his head slowly. "I didn't want to…I didn't mean too…" He looked up at Tenten, white eyes searching hers. "I have no control."

Tenten bit her lip, trying not to cry. That's all she felt like doing. After what she heard, after what had happened to her, after what her heart has gone through. All of this was too much for her to stomach. She felt like she was going to vomit. Her knees weren't strong enough to hold her for much longer.

Silence fell over the pair as Tenten willed herself to continue but ultimately failing and Neji trying to drown himself in his guilt, anything to not focus on the girl before him. Silence in the basement never lasted long.

"Diablo, diablo, diablo, diablo…" Tenten screeched in fear as the creature she had forgotten about spoke. She turned around and shone her flashlight at the cage to see the old woman sitting cross legged. Her eyes were not on Tenten but at the cage that held Neji. The old woman did not stop her murmurings, repeating the same word in some sort of sick mantra. Tenten jumped as a growl sounded from Neji's cage.

"Quiet." A new voice sounded from the top of the stair case. The old woman's chanting stopped and Neji's warning fell silent. Tenten looked up to see the red headed man who had looked over her after her attack. She gulped fearfully.

"What is going on down here?" His eyes glowed at the focused on Tenten. The red head slowly descended down the stairs. "Please don't tell me you have developed some sort of Stockholm syndrome." Tenten's eyes widened as the man stopped before her. He smiled down at her. "Kidding." His voice never changed in tone.

The man turned to the cage that held the old woman as deposited a plastic bag into her cage. The old woman made no grab for it. She didn't even notice it, or at least she seemed like she didn't. The red head turned to Tenten. "Curious thing, isn't she?"

Tenten didn't respond as the red head moved to Neji's cage. He looked inside and Neji glared at him, much like the boy Tenten thought she knew before all this vampirism. "I hope you enjoyed your little guest." The man whispered to Neji.

The man turned to Tenten and gestured to the stairs. "After you."

Tenten made no haste as she ascended the stairs, only pausing once to glance back at Neji but all she saw was darkness flooding the second basement. Once she reached the first basement, she quickly moved aside for the red head to come through.

She watched carefully as he locked up the basement and pulled the throw rug over it. He fixed it carefully, matching the corners to the tile evenly. Once he finished, he turned to Tenten.

"Next time you wish to go down there, ask me." Sasori muttered as he sidestepped Tenten and walked past

"Next time?" Tenten blurted out, quickly following Sasori.

Sasori, without slowing his pace, gave Tenten a sly look. "I imagine you still have many unanswered questions."

Tenten swallowed as they began to climb up the stairs. "I do." She murmured.

Sasori stopped halfway up the stairs and turned to her. "I'll escort you next time you go down there. I have an interest in your connection." Sasori spoke thoughtfully. His eyes flashed a warning at his next words. "Don't tell anyone about what you saw down there."

"About Neji?" Tenten asked carefully.

"No. The old woman." Sasori spoke coldly. "Keep her a secret. Her presence creates unease around most."

Tenten slowly nodded her head as Sasori continued the climb back up the stairs. He opened the basement door and Tenten followed.

* * *

Shikamaru stared at the house before him. He was a couple miles north of the Uchiha residence and a sense of nostalgia was filling the pit in his stomach. It had been a long time since he had been to this house.

He slowly walked up the stone pathway, the familiarity both comforting and nauseating. He reached the red painted door with a somber expression coating his features. He rapped his knuckles against the chipping paint and waited, shoving his hands into his pockets. He didn't want anyone to see how his hands shook.

Shikamaru could hear the distant footsteps and how they grew louder as they came closer to the door. Shikamaru breathed in deeply, clearing his mind and focusing on the task at hand. The front door opened and he came face to face with Kankuro, his eyes instantly turning into anger upon seeing Shikamaru.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Kankuro glowered quietly.

Shikamaru sighed, only causing lines of anger to cross Kankuro's face. "We need to talk."

"There is nothing we have to talk about." Kankuro growled, turning on his foot and going to close the door.

Shikamaru stopped the door from slamming shut all the way, not taking no for an answer. "Kanku-"

"Get out of here, now. You are not welcomed here."

"Who are you talking to?" A new voice came as Gaara exited the kitchen. Gaara and Shikamaru's eyes met but unlike Kankuro, Gaara's face remained unmoved.

"We need to talk." Shikamaru repeated for the younger brother.

Kankuro turned to his brother and watched as Gaara nodded his head and walked further into the house. Kankuro threw Shikamaru a dark look but followed the red head. Shikamaru took this as an okay to enter and causally followed.

His eyes trailed the walls of the house and felt his stomach tighten as he saw the face of the dead sister. The house hadn't changed much in the past couple of years. The only real noticeable change was the air. It was colder. Colder than that night.

He entered the living room to see Gaara and Kankuro both seated on the couch, their eyes watching him like hawks. Shikamaru walked into the middle of the living room but didn't push his luck with sitting on their furniture. He could tell they were seconds away from throwing him out. He wasn't about to do anything that might push his luck.

Gaara nodded his head, prompting Shikamaru to speak. "We have had some…uneasiness between us the past couple of years." Shikamaru started slowly. "I think it's time we talked it out."

Kankuro started laughing. Shikamaru watched as the older brother laughed. "Yeah fucking right."

Gaara stood up from the couch. "Leave. Nothing you have to say changes what happened that night."

Shikamaru nodded his head. "I know that. I just think-"

"We don't want to fucking hear it." Kankuro spoke sharply. "Our sister is dead because of you, don't try and fucking tell us different."

"I'm not trying to." Shikamaru sighed, closing his eyes to compose himself. "I truly take full responsibility. I'm not here to talk about that anyways."

Gaara and Kankuro exchanged looks before watching Shikamaru again. "Then why are you here?" Gaara asked quietly.

"I'm here to give you a warning."

"Is that a threat?" Kankuro sneered, the corners of his lips turning upward in a cynical smile.

Shikamaru shook his head slightly. "Quite the opposite." The boys watched skeptically as Shikamaru continued. "Some troubling things are happening. The more you two try and investigate, the more likely you two are going to be thrown in the crossfires. You need to back off for a while. Temari wouldn't want one, or both, of you getting hurt."

"You don't get to talk about her." Kankuro spat lowly. "Don't fucking say her name, you piece of shit."

"You were the only ones that cared about her." Shikamaru uttered, just barely loud enough for the two boys to hear. Shikamaru didn't meet their eyes; he was too ashamed and guilt-ridden.

"If you cared, she would still be here." Gaara spoke. He brushed past Shikamaru, walking towards the front door. Kankuro stood up sharply and followed his brother. Shikamaru followed behind weakly. He had to give them credit. This time their interactions didn't turn physical.

Gaara stood by the door, holding it open. Kankuro leaned against the frame on the other side. Shikamaru knew this was their maybe not so polite way of kicking him out. He had to be thankful though. This could have ended a number of worse ways and a whole lot sooner.

Shikamaru was about halfway out the door when Gaara spoke. "We'll stay back for a while, but we won't stay gone for long. We want justice and we are going to get it."

Shikamaru turned to the brothers. "So did I. I hope you are more successful than I was."

Shikamaru turned and continued out the doorway. As soon as he stepped out, the door slammed behind him. Shikamaru didn't look back.

* * *

Orochimaru glanced at the documents before him. He had read these pages thousands and thousands of times. He practically knew them verbatim. Each word was engraved in his mind, yet it gave him a certain amount of comfort. Those words were his power.

While these words before him were immeasurably important, they didn't prevent him from being completely ignorant of his surroundings. They didn't make him utterly oblivious to the new person in the room. They didn't mask his senses to such an extent.

Orochimaru smiled kindly. It had been a while since the two of them had been alone. "Hello, Itachi. What brings you here?"

"You hurt one of my people. I think it's time we make a new deal, reevaluate the situation and working together." Itachi's eyes watched the Snake before him calculatingly. Each move the man before him, no matter how big or small, was noted.

Orochimaru's eyebrows rose ever so slightly. "I'm afraid the time for making deals is over."

Itachi remained rooted in his spot. "So you are done here in Konoha."

"I never said that." Orochimaru took a step closer to Itachi. "I just said I'm not interested in anything you have."

"Why is that?"

A crooked, dark smile formed on Orochimaru's face. "Because you don't _have_ it anymore. It seems like your precious little Uchiha brat isn't interested in being associated with you anymore." Orochimaru half slithered half walked around the room, taunting Itachi. "He has turned over a new leaf, _with me_."

Itachi narrowed his eyes. "You lie."

"Never." Itachi stared Orochimaru done and knew Sasuke's disappearance wasn't a coincidence. The evidence was there, he just didn't want to see it before. This was all Itachi fault.

Itachi remained unmoved. "Just because you have momentarily blinded him, doesn't mean I won't make him see light." Itachi turned on his heel walking out. He was too late. He failed. Sasuke was gone, gone further than Itachi could have thought. But he wasn't going to screw up again. He was going to get Sasuke back and get rid of this Snake once and for all. Even if it had to be a full blown out war.

"Remember Itachi," Orochimaru's coos echoed in Itachi's mind. "He will only see what _he_ wants to see."

* * *

The living room was silent, awkwardly so. Hinata, Ino, and Naruto stared at Tenten and Sasori while the two stared back. Naruto, without hesitation, immediately pointed an accusing finger at the two of them.

"What were you two doing down there?!" Naruto yelled, ripping the silence from the air.

Sasori stared Naruto down bored. "A checkup. We needed privacy. Do you have a problem with that?"

Naruto immediately fell silent. Sasori, satisfied with this, left. Tenten gave Ino a look.

"Well, I'm exhausted. " Ino stretched and faked a yawn. "Why don't we go upstairs for a bit, rest up?" Ino spoke this aloud for Naruto hear but her eyes were focused on Hinata.

"Yes." Tenten exclaimed, walking up to the group. "I need to lay down from a bit. Coming Hinata?"

Hinata quickly nodded her head before turning to Naruto. "I-I'm tired as well."

Naruto wasn't an idiot…at least all the time. He knew what they were up to, but he wasn't going to stop them. They were probably his best chance for changing things here. Especially where Sakura was concerned. The more they knew and found out on their own, the better.  
"Have a good rest." Naruto winked exaggeratingly. He kissed Hinata on the forehead and sent her off.

The three girls had just left his sights when the front door opened. Hoping it was Sasuke, Naruto whipped around only to see Shikamaru. Shikamaru made no greeting to the blonde as he pulled off his jacket and slumped onto the couch beside Naruto. Naruto, while not greeted verbal, was definitely greeted aromatically.

Coughing, Naruto spoke up. "How many cigarettes did you smoke?"

"Three."

Naruto's face fell slightly. "I take it that it didn't go well, huh?"

"Better than I assumed it would." Shikamaru muttered, throwing his head back against the sofa cushions, eyes closed. "They will stay back for a while. That's all we can really ask for." Shikamaru opened a lazy eye and stared Naruto down. "Couldn't find Sasuke?"

Naruto looked away from his friend. "No. If he doesn't want to be found, he won't be found."

"He'll come back." Shikamaru stated with certainty. "He isn't stupid."

"Yeah, I hope your right." Naruto murmured, ashamed for feeling uncertain.

"I hope so too."

* * *

The three girls raced to their room and quickly closed and locked the door behind them. The three eyed each other not sure who should go first. Lucky for them, Ino took the wheel, unable to keep quiet any long.

"I definitely win." Ino started. She knew she got the biggest scoop. "I know who killed Temari _and_ who turned Sakura."

"W-Who?" Hinata asked curiously. Tenten nodded her head eagerly.

"Well, I searched Sasuke's room for any clues or secrets and I found this journal. It was mostly filled with weird shorthand nonsense notes, but in the very front of the journal was a picture of Sakura and Temari. They were _friends_."

"Really?" Tenten raised her eyebrows in surprise. "So is that her connection to the group?"

"That's my guess. Anyways, it got me thinking. Why would stoic Sasuke have a picture of them? Well, he kept it as a keepsake. A trophy. He killed Temari and he tried to do the same to Sakura and turned her. Mystery solved." Ino nodded her head, her eyes shining with determination. Hinata and Tenten shared a look, shattering Ino's thunder. "Aw, come on. You know it's true."

"Neji killed Temari." Tenten whispered. Ino stopped and stared at Tenten. Hinata's eyes widened.

"H-How did you get t-that?" Hinata murmured.

Tenten bit her lip hesitantly. "…he told me…"

"What the fuck did you just say?" Ino blurted out, forgetting the vital piece of information that they just found out.

"The basement…" Tenten murmured awkwardly. "There is a chamber underneath it." Hinata and Ino listened carefully as Tenten spoke. "There are rows of cages down there and…he was inside one of them."

"What the fuck?"

"Oh my God."

"I know." Tenten swallowed. He was rambling and somewhere in that ramble, he confessed."

"It makes sense, e-especially after what he d-did to you." Hinata nodded. "More t-than Sasuke, anyways."

"I guess. But you're okay?" Ino directed to Tenten. Tenten nodded her head and Ino continued. "That still doesn't explain the picture of Temari and Sakura."

"I-I have that answer."

"Well, go on." Ino crossed her arms.

"Well, remember h-how you thought S-Sakura might have been seeing someone during t-that summer but you didn't hear anything f-from her?"

"Yeah?" Ino frowned; still not getting it but a light went off in Tenten's head.

"Wait, you're not saying that's true, are you?"

Hinata nodded her head. "She was. Naruto told me."

At this, Ino caught on. "Oh my…Sasuke?"

Never in all her years would she have thought that Sakura and Sasuke could have had anything romantic. He was handsome; Ino got that part of it, but personality wise? There were much better candidates. But Sakura always knew how to talk to people, get to know them deeply. Maybe Sakura saw something that no one else could see. Ino could see that happening. And as for Sasuke? He'd be lucky to have Sakura. Probably the only bright and happy thing in his miserable life.

"I can't believe this." Tenten gasped. "They never interact."

"T-They broke up the month she d-disappeared."

Ino and Tenten stared at Hinata. "So he turned her?"  
"I don't k-know." Hinata shook her head. "N-Naruto wouldn't tell me. He doesn't w-want to know."

Ino surprised them all by slowly nodding her head. "I almost don't want to know as well." Upon seeing their surprised looks, Ino threw them a weak smile. "I said, _almost_."

* * *

_Sakura stared at the red painted door patiently. She shifted her weight from foot to foot as she waited. She and Temari were going to spend the day together. Temari wanted to celebrate her recent reuniting with her boyfriend. This time their break up only lasted a weekend. _

_ The front door opened and Sakura perked up. Rather than seeing the tall, strong willed blonde, Sakura was faced with a small red haired man. His eyes were a light jade green but were as cold as ice. He watched her, waiting for her to speak. _

_ "Is, uh, Temari here?" Sakura spoke up, scratching her head._

_ Before the man could answer, there was a distant yell from inside the house. "I'll be there in a minute! Hold on!"_

_ Sakura and the man stood there for a while in silence before he uttered a barely audible, "One second." The door shut but was opened a few seconds later. This time the red head was not alone, but with another boy with brown hair. _

_ The new one smiled warmly. "You're Temari's friend, huh?"_

_ "Yes." Sakura smiled. "Sakura."_

_ "Kankuro." The brunette smirked and then threw a thumb to the red head. "My little brother Gaara. We are Temari's brothers."_

_ "It's nice to meet you." Sakura grinned, happy to be out of the silence._

_ "So…" Kankuro took a cautious glance back inside the house. "Want to tell us who her boyfriend is?"_

_ Sakura's eyes widened. She really didn't want to be put into an awkward situation…"You don't know?"_

_ "No." Gaara spoke directly to Sakura for the first time. "That's why we asked."_

_ "Uh-"_

_ "Asked what?" Temari appeared behind the two boys, her arms crossed demandingly. _

_ "Nothing." Kankuro muttered defeated. "Come on, Gaara." _

_ The two brothers slipped away and Temari closed the door behind him._

_ "Tell me." She immediately demanded._

_ Sakura smiled nervously. "They wanted to know who your boyfriend is."_

_ "And?"_

_ "I said nothing."_

_ Temari looked relieved. "Good."_

_ Sakura frowned. "Why?"_

_ Temari started laughing. "Kankuro would never leave him alone. Never leave me alone." Temari shrugged then. "Gaara would probably just kill him."_

_ "Only that?" Sakura muttered sarcastically._

_ Temari smirked. "The point is he wouldn't be able to handle my brothers."_

_ "Yeah." Sakura nodded her head laughing with Temari. "He can barely handle you."_

* * *

**Hello! Sorry for the long wait between chapters. I'll try to keep a better updating schedule. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It looks like there will be about ten more chapters before this story is finish (maybe less-depends on how much I write). I want to thank you all for supporting and reading this story. It means a lot. I love you all and hope you enjoy reading this just as much as I enjoy writing it. **

**Until next time.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Warning: This is a Vampire/High School AU. There might be some OOCness.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Morning had come and Sasuke had yet to move from his spot at the small wooden kitchen table at the Hozuki residence. Before him was his two 'kidnappers'.

The one on the left, the girl kept glancing at him. It made him feel unease. She had an ulterior motive for bringing him and Sasuke wanted no part of it. Perhaps, he could use her affections to get himself out of this mess. That wouldn't be such a horrible idea. It had a certain level of irony to it that he found rather amusing. They used his affections against him, if only he could figure out a way to use hers against herself.

To the right was his other kidnapper, the boy. He seemed reluctant about the entire situation. Sasuke could probably use that to his advantage as well. The boy looked anxious. There were other things clouding his mind at the moment. Sasuke just hoped they didn't have to do with more plans concerning him.

Sasuke's thoughts were broken by the sound of a door being slammed from above him. There was another person in the house. But who? Judging by the footsteps coming from the staircase, he would be finding out soon enough.

"Fuck," The male captor stood up. "Why is he up? It's nine."

Sasuke, not knowing the entire situation, could only guess that this third person had a Naruto time schedule…meaning that it had to be around noon from them to even think about leaving the bed.

"What should we do?" The female captor asked with a hint of edge to her voice.

"Just get him to go away as soon as." The male captor muttered, shifting lower in his chair with an unpleasant expression painted on his face.

Sasuke remained rooted in his position as he watched the staircase. The man was slowly descending them. He looked a great deal like his male captor. They were probably brothers.

"Sui," The older man said as he glanced around the table, his eyes leering at the female but slowly locked onto Sasuke. "Who is this? A friend? Or more?" The brother sneered as he walked past the table and opened a cabinet. No one at the table responded so the brother continued. "Where's your other boyfriend? Dumped you, huh. That's why you got this guy." The brother made himself of dry cereal and cast Sasuke another look. The man's voice was drenched in uncaring sarcasm. It was as if the jokes and prods that he was making even bored him. It was as if he did these things out of habit. "You like them quiet types don't you, Suigetsu."

Sasuke began to realize that this brother posed no threat to him. He was left in the dark and didn't have an idea of the magnitude of the situation. That was probably for the best, at least in Sasuke's mind. One less person to concern himself with. Although, judging from what he had observed thus far, he wouldn't have been much of a competitor.

The brother pour milk into his bowl of cereal and quickly closed the refrigerator. "Later." He spoke as he ascended up the stairs, only glancing back to smirk at the redhead. "My door is open Karin, remember that."

And then he was gone. Sasuke looked between Karin and Suigetsu trying to evaluate their expressions. Karin looked like she was going to be ill. Suigetsu just looked…well much like Sasuke did after a run in with his own brother. Perhaps that was also another relation he could use to his advantage.

Suigetsu stood up suddenly and began walking to the door. "Come on; let's just go somewhere else for a while." Was all he said as he closed the door behind him.

Karin stood up and threw a blushing look at Sasuke. "You heard him."

Sasuke followed his novice captors outside to the hideous purple Dodge Neon and climbed inside. Perhaps this would be his chance to change the game.

* * *

"Still nothing?" Shikamaru muttered to Naruto as they clambered down the stairs to the basement.

"Yeah." Naruto looked down at his feet. "I don't think he is coming back."

The two remaining boys sat on the couch. Itachi had called a small meeting with only Naruto, Shikamaru, Sakura, and himself.

Itachi leaned forward in his chair, his eyes immediately on Shikamaru. "I need you to take charge for a while."

Shikamaru barely reacted, only asking, "Why?"  
"I have to hunt down my little brother." Itachi sighed loudly. "That's not really the point. I need you to start strategizing. Looks like the Snake is planning an all-out war, we need to do something before that starts, understand?"

"Hn."

"Good." Itachi's gaze turned to Naruto. "You are on babysitting duty again. Keep those girls ignorant and at bay." Naruto nodded his head earnestly, but swallowed hard. That wasn't going to be easy with everything they know already. He just hoped that the Sasuke-Sakura bit was enough to keep them sated.

"What are we going to do about Neji?" Shikamaru asked after a few moments of silence.

"Now's not the time for that discussion." Itachi muttered as he stood up. "For now, we keep him locked up. Sasori is working on something with him. I'll let you know how that goes, but for right now focus on organizing a way to get that Snake out of here." Itachi turned his head to Sakura. "Let's go."

"Wait!" Naruto yelped, jumping up. "Sakura's is going with?" Naruto knew that Sakura and Sasuke were close for a while, but Naruto was definitely knew Sasuke better.

Itachi, already knowing the underlining question answered. "You might know him better, but she has a deeper impact."

Naruto watched Sakura, her face unmoving. Naruto nodded his head. Itachi was right. Sasuke would do anything for Sakura even if she didn't need or want it, it was simply a different type of bond. "Okay, keep us posted and get him back."

Itachi nodded his head as he and Sakura climbed up the stairs from the basement and began their search for the missing Uchiha.

Naruto and Shikamaru stared at each other. "So, you're in charge now."

"Only for a while." Shikamaru stood up as well. "Can you go find Kisame? He knows just about as much as Itachi. I could use some help."

"On it, boss!" Naruto smirked and he raced up the stairs to search for Itachi's closest friend.

Shikamaru sank into the couch the minute Naruto disappeared. His life was a mess. One friend was missing. One friend was failing at maintaining the peace. One friend was locked away for nearly killing _another_ person. A war was going to break out. Innocent girls were involved in issues that would only hurt them. And she was still fucking dead. How had is life turned so…dramatic?

* * *

Itachi and Sakura walked in silence for a long moment. Sakura watched the older Uchiha, waiting for an order so she could help in some way. While she hated Sasuke, she couldn't let him get hurt or taken by the Snake. The feelings deep down wouldn't let her do so.

Itachi pulled out his phone and handed it to Sakura. She looked down at the screen to see a dot speeding along the screen.

"Is that-"

"Yes." He answered simply.

"You put a tracking device in his phone." Sakura raised an eyebrow as she followed the ping.

"This is not his first time trying to run away."

"So let's get him." Sakura made a move for the car.

"No." Itachi stopped her. "We go on foot."

"Why? It's fast by car." Sakura narrowed her eyes.

"I need to see where he goes. We will catch up. He isn't leaving the city. Right now, we follow by foot. We will catch up to where they are going. Rushing in recklessly will have consequences."

Sakura slowly nodded her head as she handed back the phone. "You're right."

Itachi pocketed the phone with a faint smirk. "I guess not all those feelings are gone."

Sakura frowned. "No. I just owe you. Once that debt is paid-"

"You're gone. I know." Itachi nodded his head solemnly. For now, this was the best he could do to get her to open up. It would have to do. Right now, his priority was getting his little brother back.

* * *

Naruto stood in front of the girls door and for the first time in a long time, he was dreading spending time with his girlfriend. It wasn't because he didn't love her, which was _absolutely_ not the reason. He just wasn't sure he could handle anymore lies. They were eating his away and the closer she got to the truth, the closer she would unveil a nasty past. Something that was best buried.

Naruto tapped his knuckles against the wood and waited patiently for one of the girls to answer. Tenten appeared a moment later and gave Naruto a weak smile.

"Come in." She opened the door wider for the blonde to step in. Naruto watched as Ino and Hinata sat on the bed looking innocent…a little too innocent, especially after all she had uncovered from him.

"N-Naruto-kun." Hinata jumped up and kissed him. "Ino and Tenten were j-just leaving…"

"Now." Ino stood up as well, patting Naruto on the back. "Any clue where Nara-ass is? I have a few things I want to talk to him about."

"Oh, uh, basement." Naruto grunted before racing to stop in front of her. "Wait, he is busy…with stuff!" He exclaimed.

Ino rested her hands on her hips. "What kind of stuff?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head nervously. "Stuff…stuff."

"Uh-huh." Ino nodded her head. "Stuff-stuff is sure rough." Ino pushed past Naruto. "Nice try."

"Have fun." Tenten waved off before following Ino out the door quickly.

Naruto turned with a questioning look to Hinata.

"She gets along better with Shikamaru." Hinata smiled awkwardly.

Naruto frowned. "Is it because he is a push-over?"

"…yes." Hinata smiled shyly.

"And Tenten?" Naruto asked, nodding his head in the direction of the door both girls had left through.

"She is m-meeting Sasori."

"Oh. Okay." Naruto nodded his head. Silence filled the space between the lovers. It was nearly palpable, the tension in the room. It could have been cut with knife…but neither teen was willing to discuss the tension.

"C-Come!" Hinata squeaked before calming herself down a bit. "Come sit." She patted the bed as she sat herself down.

Naruto slowly came beside his girlfriend and clumsily took her hand. There was another moment of silence before Naruto coughed. "Uh…so you told them about what I told you yesterday?"

"About S-Sasuke? Yes." Hinata looked down at their intertwined hands.

"How'd they take it?" Naruto asked, hoping that maybe the tension would clear.

"F-Fine." Hinata lied. She didn't want to talk about what they discussed all last night. She didn't want to tell him what else she found out. She didn't want to confront him about knowing his lies.

"Oh, good." Naruto coughed.

Minutes passed by without so much as a sound. Both teens contemplating what to do, but at the same time doing nothing. Neither could decide what was better. Keeping the tension or coming clean.

Hinata reached her decision first.

"We know about T-Temari." She whispered as quietly as she could hoping that her boyfriend didn't catch a word.

Naruto released Hinata's hand and turned to face her. His stomach instantly scrunched into painful knots. He held his breath as he watched her. She didn't look hurt or upset…but imploring.

"You know."

She nodded her head, avoiding his blue eyes. "N-Neji did it…right?"

Naruto was speechless. How she found out was above him. The boys had made a pact that they would never talk about it, for Neji and Shikamaru's sake. Sasuke agree…he was good a keeping secrets. Naruto only agreed because he didn't have anyone to keep it from, plus they were his friends. It was a complicated issue…something that he didn't want to tell Hinata for multiple reasons. Firstly because of the pact. But also because he was fearful she wouldn't understand.

"Yeah." Was all Naruto could utter.

Hinata turned back to Naruto slowly. "H-How are you still f-friends with him?" That was the question he didn't want to answer. His answer especially would not make things sound better either.

"Because he didn't mean it." Naruto responded truthfully. And it was true. While Neji did kill Temari, he didn't mean to. He didn't even realize what he did. He had no control over his actions. How he could explain that to Hinata, he wasn't sure. But he had to try now.

Hinata just stared at her boyfriend wide eye. Was that really the answer? He didn't mean to? That doesn't mean he should be forgiven and free reign. It proved useless, especially since he almost killed her best friend.

"He almost k-killed Tenten. He has kill at least one girl and a-almost another and your excuse is that he didn't mean to? That's u-unacceptable. He is a murderer and you are letting him walk around free?" Hinata asked accusingly, her words coming out fast and louder the angrier she got. "You a-are his friend because he didn't mean to and you kept this from me because it was an a-accident? You don't kill n-nearly two people on accident!"

Naruto nodded his head, but made no move to correct or try to change her mind. It was useless. She was right in nearly all instances, but Neji was the exception…that was something Naruto didn't have the ability to explain.

"That's then?" Hinata murmured as she glared. "You aren't g-going to explain?"

Naruto shook his head. "You won't understand."

"M-Make me." Hinata urged. She needed to at least hear his reasoning.

Naruto turned to face Hinata fully, grabbing her hands carefully. "Okay, fine. But please understand that I support him and we are trying to do everything we can to fix it. I promise you that his actions don't go unpunished." With a sigh, Naruto began. "When a person is…turned…they adopt traits of the person who turned them. Like Shikamaru, the person who turned his was a man with no emotions. Now, he was always kind of this way, but now he is even more so. The person who turned me was a really awesome guy, so I'm pretty neat. But it isn't always good traits that you adopt and you have no control over them. The person you turned Neji was evil. Neji got some of that evil. It's like two people living in the same body. There is boring old Neji…but there is also dark Neji. When dark Neji is in control, there is no stopping him. The most we can do is keep him contained until the Neji we know comes back. Now, I know that's not an excuse for killing people but you have to understand that Neji doesn't want to do this. He doesn't even remember doing it most of the time, not until we tell him. When dark Neji takes control, our Neji is left in the dark."

Hinata swallowed hard. "W-Why is he like that though? If he is like you guys, s-should that trait be mixed in with his n-normal personality?"

"I don't know the answer to that." Naruto bit his lip. "But it happens every once in a while. We don't know how to fix it, but Sasori is trying to help him out."

"So, when he kill T-Temari…"

"That was Dark Neji taking over." Naruto sighed.

"Why her?"

"He was doing it for a friend."

* * *

Ino and Tenten shared a look at the bottom of the stair case. "I guess this is where we part, right?" Ino muttered.

"Yeah." Tenten nodded. "Looks like he isn't here yet." Tenten glanced around the deserted first floor. She was supposed to be meeting Sasori. They had made plans to further talk about what went down in the second basement. "What are you going to talk to Shikamaru about?"

Ino shrugged. "Anything really. He is surprisingly agreeable with giving me information."

"Maybe he likes you." Tenten muttered in distaste. "Better watch out."

Ino smirked flirtatious. "Oh I _wish_ that were the case." Her words drenched in sarcasm. "But he already has a honey."

"Really?" Tenten frowned. "We haven't ever seen a girl around her…except Sakura."

Ino joined in frowning. "Shit, you're right. Now I know what to ask the ass."

Tenten sat on the sofa. "Glad to help."

Ino flashed a bright smile at the bun headed girl before disappearing down into the basement. Tenten watched her go before leaning deep into the cushions of the sofa, trying to sink as deep as she could into them. She wanted to fall in, get away from this house and the craziness that surrounded her. It was becoming too much. The lies, the secrets, and death that seemed to keep popping up. None of it is what she wanted in life. She was satisfied with normalcy. Just going about her every day, doing random acts of kindness, being with people who made her happy. Not this.

The front door opened and Tenten looked over to see the red headed Sasori coming in, putting his wooly coat on the hanger and shaking his head from the cold. Tenten stood up, despite wanting normalcy she also craved knowledge and Sasori held answers about Neji that Tenten just needed to know.

"Ready?" Sasori nodded his head in the direction of the basement.

"For what exactly?" Tenten bit her lip, carefully analyzing the man before her.

"I want to test something. Yesterday, after you left, you seemed to have left profound effect on Neji. I want to see if we can elicit anything else from him."

Tenten swallowed hard. She wasn't really sure about all of that. They barely had a conversation. That was probably the worst she had even since Neji aside from the…Tenten shivered in remembrance. No matter how hard she tried, he still haunted her and yet…she still wanted to help him.

"Why me?" Tenten asked, eyes casting suspicious glances.

"I'm not sure." Sasori shrugged in a very uninterested way. "Maybe because you two had an emotional tie. Maybe because you were the only sane person down there. Or maybe because you are simply the one that got away. Any which way you put it; you got him hooked on something about you. So it is in your complete control on whether you come down to the basement or not, but if you want to find out more, it would be in your best interest to come down." Sasori watched Tenten as she looked down to the ground. Her eyes listless and unfocused as she thought over his words. One on hand, she was eager to find out more information. On the other hand, she wasn't sure she could handle seeing him again.

"Let's go." Tenten whispered lowly after a few moments of silent thinking.

Sasori nodded his head and began his way to the door. Tenten followed, mentally preparing herself for what was in the basement. At least this time she knew what she was getting into.

The first basement held three people. A bored looking Ino who have Tenten a half-hearted wave, a concentrating Shikamaru, and a tense blue Kisame. Sasori and Kisame each nodded in each other direction, Kisame only glancing at Tenten in inquire for a moment before concerning himself with something else.

Sasori opened the door to the second basement, handing the single flashlight to Tenten. He let her descend first and soon followed behind, closing the door between basements.

Tenten's eyes adjusted to the light slow as she crept down the middle of the rows of cages. This time Tenten peered into each one to see who else was locked down here. It was also a nice way to detour the inevitable second meeting with Neji.

She reached his cage to see him curled up on the ground, knees tucked to his chest. One arm was wrapped around his legs and the other was holding his head as if he were in a constant headache. Tenten stopped in her spot and turned to see Sasori's eyes focused on the cage opposite of Neji. Whatever Sasori's connection was to the old woman it was none of Tenten's business.

"Feel free to wake him." Sasori muttered after a while. "You can discuss anything you'd like. I'm just here to observe."

Full of unease, Tenten looked from Sasori to the cage. She stiffened her shoulders and gently rasped her knuckles on the steel, cold cage. She watched as Neji stirred for a moment, his eyes clenched shut. "…Neji…"

Tenten jumped back as his eyes flashed up and he sat upright all too quickly. Tenten looked cautiously at the cage behind her and away from the old woman's cage. With Neji, she had a brief idea of what she was getting into…with the old woman not so much.

"…Tenten?" He muttered so quietly, his lips barely moved.

* * *

"So this is a war, huh?" Ino asked lazily from the couch, her head resting on her chin.

"Does she have somewhere else to go?" Kisame whispered, although still loud enough for Ino to hear.

"Can't stand me in your space?" Ino sneered loudly.

"Apparently not." Shikamaru groaned, ignoring Ino.

"I can hear every word you are saying." She reminded them all too clearly.

"That is also very apparent." Shikamaru stepped away from the map of Konoha that Kisame and him had been gazing over. "Let's pick this up later. I'll deal with this one."

"Fine by me."

The door slammed behind Kisame, leaving a tired Shikamaru glaring at a perky Ino.

"Hello." She smiled endearingly. Shikamaru didn't bit. "I was bored and wanted to chat."

"About?" He asked, sitting beside her on the couch as leaning back as far as he could. He closed his eyes gently.

"Oh, I don't know!" Ino shrugged coyly, even though Shikamaru wasn't watching.

"Yes, you do." He murmured. "Get on with it."

"Well, there isn't much I need to know anymore." She smirked as she watched his frown.

"What do you mean?"  
Ino grinned widely, despite the topics at hand. "I know about Sakura and Sasuke." Shikamaru opened his eyes in blatant surprise, but Ino continued anyways. "I know about Sakura and that Temari girl." Shikamaru was up right at this point and Ino still didn't stop. "I know who turned Sakura, or at least I have my best guess."

Shikamaru couldn't believe what he was hearing. More importantly, he just wanted her to shut up. "Ino-"

"I also know who killed Temari." Ino's face was downcast. Shikamaru was speechless. "I know a lot of things, a lot of dark things. I want to know something lighthearted." She looked up at Shikamaru wide eyed. "Something not dark." Shikamaru remained silently, just struck with astonishment.

"Ino-"

"Lighthearted!" She smiled somberly. "Remember?" He sat back in the couch cushions, but remained stiff back. "Tell me about your girlfriend."

Ino watched Shikamaru with utter confusion. The mention of his significant other was like he got shot in the head. Ino knew she was throwing a lot at him but his reaction just felt…off.

"I don't have a girlfriend." He answered, almost breathlessly, like he was gasping for air.

"You said you have someone like Naruto has Hinata and vice versa."

"I do." He hissed, hoping his tone would indicate he didn't want to talk about it.

Ino picked up on the tone, but it only made her more curious. "And you aren't dating her?"

Shikamaru remained silent and Ino frowned deeply. She bent down to try and get a look at his face. "Why are you being weird about this?"

"Why do you want to know?" Shikamaru asked. His voice was dipped in hurt and Ino just couldn't grasp why.

"Because, you talked about her and how you love her and everything, yet she isn't here! I've never seen her. You won't even tell me anything about her."

"You never asked."

Ino narrowed her eyes. "I'm asking now."

Shikamaru shook his head, resting his head on his hands and turning his gaze far away from Ino. "I can't."

"Why?" Ino snapped, arms crossed and eyes aflame.

"She…" He stopped himself with a heavy sigh.

"Just tell me about her. It's all I ask. I just need to light in this darkness, don't we all?"

"There is no light." Shikamaru whispered. "She was light. I suppose she still is in a way. She was always positive…in a negative sort of way." Shikamaru smiled ever so slightly and Ino was surprised to see such an expression on him. "She was bold, terrible bold and brash. I guess like you, but in a more elegant sort of way. You are chaotic, she was in control of everything she did and she knew it. And she was hilarious. Not so much to be known for it, but enough that I knew. Sarcastic, as I'm sure you can imagine. Incredible so, but that was just how she was."

"Past tense." Ino muttered, echoing Shikamaru from a few days ago.

She watched as his smile fell and his eyes turned empty. "She's dead."

* * *

In a dark, cold, basement, Kabuto worked relentless over a set of wires making sure the connections were just right. Hours, he had spent fiddling around in this room. It had to be cleaned, than arranged and organized, than tested, than tested once more. Corrections were then made to make sure that when the real thing happened there were no mistakes. His master watched from his seat.

"How much longer?"

"Almost done," Kabuto whispered, "Just a few loose wires. Of course, I still need to prep the boy, but that shan't take too long. Perhaps three days at the most."

"Speaking of the boy-"

"On his way." Kabuto cut Orochimaru off swiftly. Much was still need and time shouldn't be wasted on wasted words. "Our three hired hands are bringing him over here. He is reluctantly here so they had to bring him into as much as a false security as they could."

"And his brother?"

"Also on his way." Kabuto didn't even need to look at his master to see his back stiffen. "Don't worry. I have gone over this with the hired hands. They will take care of him and we will get the boy. Worry not, you have entrusted me with this task so let me do it to its completion. Everything has been accounted for."

"Has it?" Orochimaru stood up, analyzing the coy man in front of him. He never really understood Kabuto's dedication. What he promised was valuable beyond comprehension, yet the things Kabuto was willing to do made Orochimaru suspicious. But, at his current state, eh could no longer question the validity of Kabuto's trust and wasn't about to turn away a dedicated slave.

"There is bound to be a small conflict tonight. I suspect within the next few hours, but nothing damaging will happen to the boy. He will only be more cooperative. Don't worry, my master. I have planned this moment and the moments to follow very carefully. You'd have to be a genius to even come close to thwarting them."

Orochimaru nodded his head and slowly began to ascend the stairs. "Good. I expect nothing less, but let me warn you Kabuto, don't underestimate Itachi and his forces."

"I won't."

* * *

_Sakura watched the man before her carefully. Her boyfriend had told her many things about him, yet she had barely ever spoken so much as a word to him. He had always been around just…they didn't get along well. A brothers' dispute of some kind or another._

_ But now, her boyfriend had disappeared for a few hours leaving her alone in the home. Sakura knew it was a matter of time before she got to speak more in-depth with the brother. She was actually quite surprised it didn't happen sooner. _

_ "Sakura, is it?" He spoke carefully._

_ "Yes." She nodded her head slowly._

_ "Yes, my brother has been very careful with keeping us apart."_

_ "Is there a good reason for it?" _

_ The man paused and Sakura grew uneasy. "Perhaps, not really I suppose. He has always been a paranoid one. I'm sure you've noticed."_

_ "Cautious." Sakura smiled fondly. "Not paranoid."_

_ "Synonyms in my book." The man shrugged. "How are you doing?"_

_ Sakura frowned at the change of conversation and was off out by the question. "…Fine…should I not be?"_

_ "I hope you are." He muttered. "Has my brother been acting odd around you?"_

_ "He has always been odd, but not odder than usual." Sakura furrowed her brows together. What was the man getting at?_

_ "He hasn't hurt you?" The man asked with a stern, unmoving face._

_ Sakura was very taken back by the question. "No! Never! He is always polite and nice and- Why would you ask such a thing?"_

_ The man looked relieved. "Good. I should hope not, but if you ever find yourself in a situation where you need assistance, I would be more than happy to help."_

_ Sakura nodded her head, but still not willing to let the topic go. "Why would be hurt me?" Her frown deepened. "Has…has he done that to others in the past?"_

_ "No." He answered quickly. "There haven't been others, only you. That's why I asked."_

_ The man began to walk away and Sakura stood up quickly. "You don't trust him?"_

_ The man turned and smiled, eyes closed and head cocked slightly to the side. "I'm afraid I trust him too much."_

* * *

**I AM SO SORRY FOR THE WAIT. But fear not, it is here! This was originally a longer chapter, but it got too long so it has been chopped into two so the next chapter will be a continuation of this. I hope you are enjoying everything thus far. It will hopefully be wrapping up soon. ****As much as I love this story, it needs an end.**

**Anyways, thank you for everything (reading, following, waiting, etc.) You all are Angels and I don't deserve you. Until next time! Peace.**


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